The employment tribunal of the man axed as Tayside’s period dignity officer could run for almost three months.
Jason Grant was hired for the £33,000 a year job – designed to promote period dignity – last year.
However the role was axed just weeks after he started amid a huge public backlash worldwide, with many believing a woman should have been hired instead.
Mr Grant is now suing the working group which hired him for the role, claiming the decision to remove him was taken because he is a man.
The working group comprised of Dundee & Angus College as the “host employer”, as well as Dundee and Angus councils, and Perth College.
It’s now understood the tribunal is scheduled to begin on March 4 next year and expected to last ten weeks.
Separate claims of sex discrimination, victimisation and constructive dismissal lodged against Dundee & Angus College by Mr Grant will be heard in the same case.
How long have similar cases lasted?
At ten weeks, Jason Grant’s employment tribunal could be one of the longest of its kind in recent memory.
By comparison, the tribunal of former Dundee High teacher Daniel Goodey was held over 11 days between October 2018 and July 2019.
Mr Goodey had taken legal action against the school after being forced to resign for refusing to apologise to a pupil after they stormed out of his classroom.
And last February, an employment tribunal was held in Dundee over two days in the case of Christi Hurrell who had been sacked as a manager by city bar Sportsterz for being “too young”.
In the period dignity officer role Jason Grant would have led a communication strategy raising awareness of availability of period products in places such as schools and colleges.
It was to be funded by the Scottish Government as part of a new law cementing in place the right to free feminine hygiene products — the first such measures anywhere in the world.
However the fierce public backlash, including from tennis legend Martina Navratilova who branded Mr Grant’s appointment as “f***ing ridiculous”, led to the role getting canned.
This, along with the potential costs incurred by the working group in their bid to fight the legal action, has led to criticism from some politicians.
Maurice Golden, Conservative MSP for North East Scotland, said the process could be an “expensive lesson” for the Tayside region.
He said: “Questions undoubtedly remain over this whole saga.
“There’s a real opportunity to highlight what’s gone wrong, for the benefit of all parties concerned.
“This was described as a landmark role following legislation backed by MSP’s across the Scottish Parliament, so what it does mean is that there’s now no such job.
“And any findings could impact on how it’s delivered across Scotland.
“But it may turn out to be an expensive lesson to learn for people in Tayside.”
Angus Council and Perth College decline to comment.
Dundee & Angus College and Dundee City Council have also been approached for comment.
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