A WOMAN who worked for a Euro MP says she was "harassed" to return to work just weeks after suffering a stroke.

Hilary Harris told an industrial tribunal she was regularly phoned by a UK Independence Party agent asking when she would be returning to the office, despite being told by doctors to rest.

Mrs Harris, who lives in Chipping, worked for North West MEP Dr John Whittaker.

She is bringing a claim for constructive dismissal against the MEP, who stood as a General Election candidate against Labour MP Greg Pope in Hyndburn in 2005.

Mrs Harris' job was to try and get donations for the party's North West headquarters, which was then based in Preston, but has since moved to Lancaster.

She told the tribunal in Manchester that Dr Whittaker, the UK Independence Party chairman, visited her in hospital and told her she would be much busier when she returned.

The tribunal was told relation-ships between Mrs Harris and Dr Whittaker had "completely broken down", and he gave her a written warning for a personal email that was sent to the party's North West email address.

Mrs Harris said when she did return to work she was told to carry out tasks that were "physically impossible" for her as she had no balance, and no strength in one side of her body.

At one point after returning to work, she said she was left alone in the office and Dr Whittaker didn't check on her.

She said she felt "very vulnerable at this time".

Describing a meeting with Dr Whittaker, she said: "He was in no doubt how unhappy I was. I was visibly upset."

After being shouted at by a party agent in a meeting during which she said Dr Whittaker did nothing to help, Mrs Harris handed in her notice.

She said she then realised they had advertised her job while she had been off sick.

She said this made her position "completely untenable".

She told the tribunal she had had no contact with Dr Whittaker since that date.

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