Scottish postman who talked too fast loses racism claim against Royal Mail

A Scottish postman did not suffer racial discrimination by an English colleague who did not understand him, an employment tribunal has ruled.

Pete McCalam accused Royal Mail manager Alan Wiggs of being a “little bit racist” because he repeatedly told him he couldn’t comprehend him while “screwing up his face”.

Wiggs confessed he couldn’t understand some Scots such as comedian Kevin Bridges but assured McCalam he was not a bigot.

After recording the conversation, the postman — who worked at a depot in England — sued Royal Mail for racism.

The tribunal found Wiggs’s failure to understand McCalam was not due to an accent but simply because he talked too quickly. McCalam had a tendency to speak faster when he was “irate”, the tribunal was