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A Lemington Spa Royal Mail parcels delivery driver who had more than 18 months off work over a five-year period is seeking compensation for race discrimination and unfair dismissal. The Royal Mail told the Birmingham Employment Tribunal that Jivan Sansoy, of Rylands Close, Leamington, had received numerous warnings before he was sacked in October last year for poor attendance.

Sansoy said  he had taken time off because of the racist attitude of colleagues, domestic problems, stress and depression. The Royal Mail refuted this and denied the race discrimination allegation. It said it had not always been satisfied with the explanations he had offered for taking so much time off and had made strenous efforts to help him.

Chris Andrew, appearing for Sansoy, said Sansoy had been picked on at work, prompting his race discrimination claim, although Sansoy admitted that he had never made a formal complaint. The Tribunal was told that Sansoy had been absent from work from April till October - more than 200 days - in his first year with Royal Mail and had been off for 114 days on another occasion, apart from individual days in between. In all he had missed 543 days' work in five years.

Sansoy told the Tribunal that he had requested a transfer and had not been given overtime. Royal Mail responded that when he had been given overtime he had failed to turn up for his  shift.