UK KFC outlet fined as Lankan Tamil manager hurls racist abuse at Tamil Nadu worker

A KFC franchisee in south-east London has been ordered to pay nearly £70,000 in compensation after an employment tribunal found that an Indian Tamil migrant worker was racially abused, overworked and unlawfully dismissed by his Sri Lankan Tamil manager, who repeatedly referred to him as a "slave", according to a report by new agency PTI. Although both men spoke Tamil, the tribunal heard that national origin and ethnic identity played a decisive role in how the Indian migrant worker was treated at his workplace.

The case was filed by Madhesh Ravichandran, a migrant worker from Tamil Nadu, India, who joined the West Wickham branch of KFC in January 2023. The outlet is operated by Nexus Foods Limited. His direct manager was Kajan Theiventhiram, a Sri Lankan Tamil.

Within weeks of joining, Ravichandran was handed what the tribunal described as a "shambolic" contract, offering no real opportunity to review its terms. While contracted for 45 hours a week, he was routinely forced to work well over 60 hours, with some weeks stretching to 75 hours, and on one occasion nearly 90 hours.

In March 2023, when Ravichandran attempted to take annual leave, he overheard his manager telling a colleague that he would prioritise Sri Lankan Tamil staff. During the same conversation, Theiventhiram allegedly referred to the Indian worker as "this slave", dismissing his leave request and using further degrading language.

RACIST KFC MANAGER FROM SRI LANKA CALLS INDIANS 'FRAUDSTERS'

According to a report by the PTI, the tribunal accepted evidence that Ravichandran was also called a "fraud", and subjected to remarks suggesting that "Indians are fraudsters", comments the judge found to be explicitly racial in nature.

Employment Judge Paul Abbott ruled that the refusal of leave and the excessive working hours were "significantly influenced by the claimant's race", concluding that Ravichandran was subjected to direct race discrimination, harassment related to race, and victimisation. "We accept that the respondent treated the claimant as a 'slave' because of racial prejudice against Indian Tamils," Judge Abbott wrote, adding that the abuse had the purpose and effect of violating the claimant's dignity.

Despite raising concerns internally, Ravichandran's complaints were never properly investigated. Instead, after months of escalating pressure and racially abusive conduct, he resigned in July 2023. The tribunal later found he was summarily dismissed while serving notice, denying him his statutory rights.

The court awarded Ravichandran £66,800 in compensation, including damages for injury to feelings, unpaid notice, and holiday pay. In addition, the tribunal directed Nexus Foods Limited to implement a mandatory anti-discrimination training programme for all staff, including managers, within six months.

The incident is the latest in a series of racially aggravated attacks and rhetoric directed against the Indian-origin community within the UK. In 2021, a motion was tabled in the UK Parliament condemning anti-Indian racism in the country after a report by the 1928 Institution labelled 'British Indian Identity, Political Representation, and Policy Priorities,' stated that 80% of British Indians have faced prejudice because of their Indian identity, with Hindu phobia being the most prevalent.

Similarly, a report by the London-based Henry Jackson Society found that 51 per cent of Indian-origin Hindu families in the UK said their children had faced religious or racial discrimination in schools.

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