Belarusian doctor fired from job in UK, she disagreed. Court had to intervene
Belarusian doctor Maryna Anatolyeva, who worked in the UK's National Health Service (NHS), lost a court claim for alleged unfair dismissal amounting to £100,000. The court concluded that the woman was justifiably dismissed due to an insufficient level of professional communication skills, reports The Independent.
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47-year-old Anatolyeva underwent postgraduate training in "anesthesiology" at St Helens and Knowsley Hospital (Merseyside county) from 2018 to 2022.
During the case, the woman admitted that she found it difficult to maintain casual conversations at work and that she did not understand the British habit of frequently discussing the weather, noting that such conversations were less common in Belarus.
Anatolyeva previously claimed that she faced less friendly treatment due to her origin, Russian-speaking background, and "neurodiversity," but these arguments were dismissed by the court.
During her training, Belarusian supervisors and colleagues repeatedly noted the need to improve her communication, leadership, and teamwork skills. Finally, in 2022, she was informed that without progress, she might be removed from the program, and in October of the same year, she was indeed excluded from training.
The court noted that in the work of an anesthesiologist, especially in emergency and surgical care, not only technical knowledge but also the ability to effectively interact with colleagues, manage team work, and correctly assess the situation are of crucial importance.
Maryna Anatolyeva also claimed that her supervisor allegedly hinted that working as a consultant was not suitable for her as a single mother and a person from a different cultural background. The supervisor, however, denied this, and the court found her testimony more convincing than the Belarusian woman's assertions.
As a result, the court recognized Maryna Anatolyeva's dismissal as lawful and rejected all of the Belarusian woman's claims.
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