Banker 'had to serve drinks on jet'

A senior woman banker working for Merrill Lynch was ordered to serve drinks to her male colleagues as they flew in their executive jet to a business meeting, an employment tribunal heard today.

Stephanie Villalba, who is seeking a record £7.8 million from her employers for sex discrimination, unfair dismissal and victimisation, alleges this was just one of the humiliations she suffered before she lost her job in July last year.

The hearing in Croydon was today told how for 17 years she had an exceptional record at the bank, but that changed when Ausaf Abbas became her boss in the company's International Client Group. Her counsel Dinah Rose said he "humiliated and belittled her", and in January last year offered her a $549,997 (£298,830) bonus for 2002 when male colleagues in equivalent jobs were offered $750,000-$800,000 (£407,000-?434,700).

The tribunal was told Mr Abbas "undermined and sidelined her" when her area of business failed to make profits. "Gradually she became stigmatised as someone who was out of her depth and struggling," said Miss Rose.

When Mrs Villalba, 42 - who lives in a £4.5 million Belgravia townhouse - complained

to Mr Abbas about her huge workload, he is said to have replied dismissively: "Stephanie - my maid works hard."

Miss Rose said: "We say this isn't just crass and emotive language - what is important is that he was belittling. The gender-specific language he used is indicative of his lack of respect for her."

Miss Rose told how Mrs Villalba was the only woman among six male Merrill Lynch executives on a corporate jet flying from Frankfurt to Milan, and when she asked Mr Abbas where she should sit he told her to sit in the stewardess's seat.

"He instructed her to serve drinks to male colleagues and by the time she'd finished there were none left for her," said Miss Rose. At a buffet in Milan Mrs Villalba complained to Mr Abbas how a colleague placed his hand on her thigh when he leaned across her at dinner.

When another colleague came up to them Mr Abbas joked about the man's "wandering hands problem".

In an email he sent to a colleague, he said: "Stephanie is turning out to be very high maintenance," added Miss Rose, explaining the expression came from movie When Harry Met Sally, and "is a derogatory term made by men about cars", often also used about women.

Mrs Villalba, whose father was a senior Merrill executive, joined the firm in

1985. In May 2002 she was promoted to marketing executive for Europe, at a time when the markets were in turmoil after the September 11 attacks. Miss Rose said her client was criticised for losses despite all financial companies losing money. By the end of the year she was suffering stress because of bullying and discrimination. By April last year she was told to stay at home, and on 31st July was dismissed, the tribunal heard.

Lawyers for Merrill Lynch said Mrs Villalba's version of events as "a travesty of the truth". Nicholas Underhill said the company resented the smearing of Mr Abbas as a bully and a sexist, adding: "He is nothing of the kind."

Mr Underhill said: "Mrs Villalba was removed from her position as marketing executive because of a judgment made of her performance ... in which the European Region had made record losses. It had nothing to do with her being a woman." He said her successor in the post was also a woman.

Senior Merrill Lynch bankers are expected to fly from America to give evidence at the tribunal. The hearing continues.