A Belfast employment tribunal has dismissed a race discrimination claim brought by a former Citibank NI UK employee, ruling that her dismissal during a probationary period was attributable to poor performance and misconduct rather than her race.

Tadela Wallace was employed as a Senior Market Operations Analyst from 31 October 2022 until her dismissal on 10 February 2023 - a period of approximately three months. She brought claims of less favourable treatment, harassment, and victimisation under the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. A separate unfair dismissal claim was struck out at an earlier preliminary stage because Wallace did not have the 52 weeks of continuous service required under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996.

The tribunal, chaired by Employment Judge N Kelly and sitting with members Mr M McKeown and Mr I Carroll, found unanimously that Wallace had experienced significant difficulties during her training period and had been unable to effectively apply that training to her work. Her overall performance was assessed at the lowest available grade during her probation review. She was removed from the Goldman Sachs account after failing to respond to ten consecutive client messages. The tribunal also found that the training provider had raised complaints about her communication style and disruptive behaviour during training sessions.

Management concerns about Wallace's social media use had been raised in December 2022 following an Instagram post in which she discussed trading activities and referenced working at a large bank. A HR representative reminded her of her obligations under the bank's social media policy. In February 2023, two TikTok videos posted by Wallace were referred to HR by a colleague. In one video, Wallace discussed a conversation she had with HR and referred to a colleague using profane language. In a second video, she named that colleague directly and used further profanity. Wallace was dismissed on 10 February 2023 following a formal probation review meeting convened to address her social media conduct.

Wallace alleged that colleague Michelle Devlin had called her a racial slur. The tribunal rejected that allegation, finding it unsupported by any witness, contemporaneous complaint, or credible account. The tribunal noted that Wallace initially placed the alleged incident on 10 February 2023 in her sworn statement, then sought to change the date after Devlin was able to demonstrate she had not been on the premises that day. The tribunal concluded the allegation was an attempt to strengthen a weak case.

Wallace's only witness, Thomas Johnston, had given statements to the tribunal that differed significantly from his account during the bank's internal investigation. In the investigation interview, Johnston had stated that management treated everyone on the team the same. His tribunal witness statement, by contrast, alleged that Wallace had been ostracised and mistreated. The tribunal concluded his evidence was not credible and appeared designed to support his friend rather than reflect his direct observations.

Colleagues Syeda Saman Fatima and Cristiane Correa, both interviewed during the bank's internal investigation, described the management as professional and supportive and made no reference to discrimination of any kind. The tribunal found that the claimant had been treated equitably compared to her colleagues throughout her employment.

The tribunal described the claim as misconceived and devoid of merit. It found no prima facie evidence of race discrimination at any stage of Wallace's employment and concluded that her dismissal related solely to her performance record and social media conduct during her probationary period.