McCartney accused of harassment
Robert McCartney, leader of the tiny UK Unionist Party, has been accused of sexual discimination by a secretary working for the party at Stormont
Freda Woods, a former member of the UKUP who resigned from the party over the allegations, was employed by McCartney, MP for North Down, for a year and a half before being made redundant last May during the suspension of the Assembly. McCartney justified terminating her employment on the grounds there was not enough work for her to do and because he was not sure that the Assembly would ever reconvene.
However, Woods claims that she was overlooked for a position of researcher for the UKUP and is basing her claim for sexual discrimination on that decision. She is being supported in her claim by the Equality Commission.
Woods is also claiming political discrimination, alleging that McCartney's decision to make her redundant was not only based on gender but also on the fact that her husband, Morris Woods, then also a member of the UKUP, wrote a letter to the Bangor Spectator expressing support for Peter Robinson of the DUP and calling for closer ties between the two parties. Freda Woods alleges that after the letter was published, McCartney reneged on a promise to continue to employ her as long as he received an allowance for her salary.
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