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Bra magnate faces fourth employment tribunal over claims of bullying and failure to pay wages

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Bra tycoon and new Tory peer Michelle Mone is being taken to a tribunal over claims of bullying, harassment, sexual discrimination and failure to pay wages.

Former office manager Mark Ali will bring allegations against the Ultimo millionaire in a preliminary hearing in April.

The tribunal office told the Daily Mirror that a full hearing is slated for July.

It is the fourth such hearing the Tory advisor is known to have faced. Her company lost or settled the earlier three.

Lady Mone, 44, is leading a major government review on start-up businesses in disadvantaged communities. She built bra business Ultimo with ex-husband Michael, and MJM International was sold to MAS Holdings in 2013, although she still remains a shareholder.

Her representatives claim she has not been personally involved in any tribunals, and deny the claims made by Mr Ali.

A spokesman said: “Lady Mone has never been involved in any tribunal. This was her ex-husband and the new owners. I can confirm that Michelle has never appeared in a tribunal before.”

MJM settled a case against Hugh McGinley out of court last year, after he claimed constructive dismissal.

McGinley told the tribunal: “If staff got on the wrong side of Michelle their lives would be made hell. Several people were driven out the door.”

Alice Stobart, a lawyer for MJM, responded: “Michelle Mone is not the ogre you are making her out to be.”

The Scottish tycoon was also involved in scandal in 2014, when a case brought by former operations director Scott Kilday revealed she bugged his office and listened to recordings.

Kilday was awarded £15,920 for unfair dismissal.

Prior to Mr Kilday’s case, Claire Woods successfully took her case to tribunal in 2006 after Ms Mone gave her the ‘cold shoulder’ after learning that she was pregnant.

Lady Mone has previously criticised the cost of such tribunals, calling them “way over the score”.

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