A SUPERMARKET personnel officer has accused her bosses of failing to promote her because she is a mother.

Sharon Burch, who has two young sons, claimed at an industrial tribunal she was forced to resign from her £20,400-a-year job at an Eastbourne branch of Tesco when she realised her career would go no further unless she worked longer hours.

Ms Burch, 29, who lives in Rye and was wrking at the Langley store when she left her job last July, is claiming compensation for sex discrimination and constructive dismissal.

She claimed her boss started to criticise her and she was denied the chance of promotion after she refused to work more hours because she did not want to be away from her children.

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She told the Brighton hearing: "All of a sudden I found the general manager very different in the way he treated me.

"I wanted to be promoted and they had a problem with that. "I knew if I was given the opportunity I could do the job and that is all I was asking for."

Tesco denies treating her unfairly and the allegations of sex discrimination.

Ms Burch, who worked for the firm for nine years, including spending time at branches in Hastings and Uckfield, said she had ambitions to work in a bigger store than the Langley branch. She believed she could carry out her job successfully at a larger store while still only working part-time.

Ms Burch, who worked 32 hours a week, claimed at first she was told her chances of promotion would not be affected by her working part-time. But in March last year she claimed her boss asked her to do more hours because all senior management should be working at least 36 hours a week.

When she refused because of the difficulties of arranging childcare and because she did not want to spend any more time away from her children, she claimed her boss started being critical. A copy of an e-mail about her between managers was sent anonymously to her which mentioned concerns about her work.

She started pursuing a formal grievance but she failed to convince the company she had a case and decided to resign.

Ms Burch said: "I was absolutely devastated. It destroyed me. I was bitterly disappointed." The hearing continues.

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