Estate agent was 'victimised for having baby'

A woman who took maternity leave at a leading estate agents was ostracised when she returned to work, a tribunal heard today.

Merylin Bartley, 37, a £40,000-a-year senior sales negotiator with Hamptons International, said she was the victim of sexist comments at the "boysie" office in St John's Wood.

She said she believed she was the first sales negotiator at the company to be granted maternity leave.

Ms Bartley said when she told her boss Paul Sennet she was pregnant, he replied he had guessed as much because "your tits are enormous". Ms Bartley, of West Kilburn, said when she came back to work, her former junior was made her manager and she was given a receptionist's desk to work from. She is claiming constructive dismissal and sexual discrimination and is suing the firm for £120,000.

Ms Bartley told the London tribunal that she was made to feel as though her boss was doing her a "big favour" by granting maternity leave. She told the tribunal: "The lead-up to my confinement was stressful enough and was exacerbated by Paul Sennet's and Hamptons' ignorance of my rights."

Ms Bartley said when she began to make medical appointments she found herself coming up against opposition. She said: "Paul could not resist mentioning, on several occasions, how lucky I was that Hamptons were keeping my job open, and how lucky I was to be receiving maternity pay."

Ms Bartley said she was made to feel like a "killjoy" after the firm's mortgage adviser offered a boozy night out as a sales incentive while she was heavily pregnant.

When she declined, he suggested a day out at Silverstone. Ms Bartley said when she pointed out that she "wouldn't even have been able to get behind the wheel" she was offered a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes before the idea was dropped.

When Ms Bartley returned from giving birth in May 2003 she said she struggled to care for her son because her manager enforced a regime of early morning meetings. Ms Bartley added: "There were at least four occasions when I raced home to breastfeed my child before going out again to join my colleagues."

The tribunal heard that Mr Sennet denied making the remark about her breasts. He claimed she in fact bragged that her pregnancy meant her partner could enjoy her "ever expanding breasts".

But Ms Bartley told the tribunal: "I have never said anything like that. There was a lot of office banter, it was a very 'boysie' office. Admittedly, because I wanted to be seen as part of the team, I would join in with the jokes. I didn't enjoy the comment but I didn't want to be out of the loop."

Ms Bartley left Hamptons last October. Hamptons International deny all the allegations. The tribunal continues.