Wife awarded £90k after husband's unlawful wage cuts

A 58-year-old woman has won £90,000 in compensation after her husband reduced her wages during their divorce. Ghada Al-Naimi worked as an administrative assistant at her husband’s construction company since 2002. During the divorce, her husband, Ahmad Al-Naimi, cut her monthly salary from £2,400 to £1,050, which made it hard for her to support their family. The tribunal in Croydon, south London, learned that Mr. Al-Naimi became "angry" and "resentful" during the divorce. He argued that he did not want to pay her in two ways: both through her salary and maintenance payments. Mr. Al-Naimi also withheld her pay, suspended her excessively, and threatened her with false allegations of misconduct. Mrs. Al-Naimi said she faced constant bullying through unreasonable emails and felt financially pressured. After they separated, Mr. Al-Naimi reported her to the police for alleged fraud when he discovered she was using company funds to renovate a house they both owned. However, police found no evidence to take action against her. The tribunal ruled in favor of Mrs. Al-Naimi, awarding her £90,732 for discrimination, wrongful dismissal, and unpaid wages. The judge noted that Mr. Al-Naimi struggled to separate his roles as a husband and employer. She concluded his actions stemmed from frustration over having to pay maintenance while also being her employer.