A Bradford supermarket worker who said he was demoted and transferred after a police investigation into cash irregularities lost his case for racial discrimination.

Mohammed Saleem Yasim, 22, of Duckworth Grove, Heaton, told a Leeds employment tribunal yesterday that he was an assistant trainee manager at the Yorkshire Co-op in Duckworth Lane.

But after he and six other workers were arrested in May last year he claimed he was demoted and transferred to the Co-op in Wibsey, despite no charges being brought against any of the staff.

Richard Cox, for the respondent Yorkshire Co-operative who denied the claim, said Mr Yasim was never promoted to trainee manager but did hold the position of key holder for the store.

The Co-op's area manager Abdul Khan told the tribunal he had spoken to Mr Yasim the day after his arrest.

He said Mr Yasim asked not to remain as key holder for the Duckworth Lane store and the pair agreed he would start basic management training at the Co-op in Wibsey.

Mr Khan said there was no question that Mr Yasim was innocent in relation to the irregularities on the cash till and said it was obvious he had management potential.

Mr Yasim, who represented himself, denied he asked for his key-holding responsibilities to be removed and said he wished to remain at the Duckworth Lane store or move to the nearby Allerton store where he knew staff.

Only weeks after Mr Yasim started work at the Wibsey store he went on sick leave and has not returned.

Tribunal chairman David Burton said it was clear although Mr Yasim officially only held the position of key holder his responsibilities were far greater.

He said the removal of that responsibility could be seen as a demotion in itself to Mr Yasim.

But he added: "There is an inherent probability that Mr Khan, who shares the same race and religion to the applicant, would not discriminate against him by reason of his race.

"There is no suggestion that Mr Khan was acting under the instruction of anyone else."

He dismissed the claim.

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