Tate boss launches tribunal battle

A gallery employee with Crohns disease will launch a legal battle against the Tate today.

Elizabeth Andrews claims managers failed to take her disability into account when she was transferred from the Tate Britain to the Tate Modern.

Ms Andrews, of Rochester, Kent, is seeking compensation from the board of trustees of the Tate Gallery, alleging the move had a detrimental effect on her health because the Tate Modern was too cold.

The gallery supervisor, who was tasked with monitoring CCTV, patrolling the gallery and being on call for emergencies, claims managers failed to consider her health when they orchestrated the move in November 2007.

The air conditioning, she said, made her back condition worse, and covering gallery assistants' absences further worsened her
condition.

She also claims the Tate did not obtain an occupation health report before the transfer.

Ms Andrews was employed at the Tate Britain, in Pimlico, central London, from August 2003 and promoted to gallery supervisor in November 2004.

She was transferred to the Tate Modern three years later but after submitting a grievance, returned to the Tate Britain in March this year.

She will present her case at an employment tribunal in Croydon, south-west London.