THE Post Office has paid out £20,000 in damages after management at its Preston town centre site were found to guilty of racial discrimination.

An Employment Tribunal in Manchester condemned the Post Office lat Friday for its recruitment practices and found that managers at the Preston office were found to have selectively applied performance tests.

The tribunal found that Mrs Nagamani Mallidi, a postal worker of Indian origin, had received "less favourable treatment" than her white work colleagues.

She was asked to take a written aptitude test in order to remain in work when other comparable white employees were given temporary or permanent contracts without having a take a test.

The tribunal stated that they were extremely unhappy about the way the Post Office operated in terms of its treatment of Asian employees. They said the Post Office had failed to explain why the test was applied rigorously in certain cases but not in others.

When Mrs Mallidi made a complaint to management, they failed to investigate the matter satisfactorily.

Announcing the decision, Eric Seward, regional director from the Commission for Racial Equality, said: "This case sends a strong message to the Royal Mail and to other large employers of the need to review their recruitment practices and ensure there is proper provision for equal opportunities.

"In this day and age, nepotism and word of mouth are totally unacceptable forms of recruitment, and, with the predominance of white people in managerial positions, is likely to lead to discrimination of ethnic minority groups."

In a statement following the decision, Mrs Mallidi said: "Based on my experience, I would encourage anyone who feels they have been discriminated against to seek help from organisations who can advise you about your rights. Had it not been for the Commission for Racial Equality I would not have been able to pursue my case and their help has been invaluable."

A spokesperson for the Post Office added: "Although we cannot discuss individual cases, I can confirm that a tribunal awarded damages to Mrs Mallidi. We have a long-standing equal opportunities recruitment policy which we have worked out with the trade unions which we regularly review."