A MOTHER of three who claims she was sacked from her job for not being Chinese today continued her fight for compensation.The case of Ipswich woman Darlene Hickman reopened today at the Bury St Edmunds tribunal after she claimed she was racially discriminated against by a Chinese takeaway.

A MOTHER of three who claims she was sacked from her job for not being Chinese today continued her fight for compensation.

The case of Ipswich woman Darlene Hickman reopened today at the Bury St Edmunds tribunal after she claimed she was racially discriminated against by a Chinese takeaway.

Miss Hickman, of Warwick Road, worked for Peking Express in Foxhall Road for eight months between October 2001 and June last year.

Hickman, 36, originally won her claim for racial discrimination when the case was heard at a tribunal back in November last year. She was awarded £2,398 after claiming she had been sacked from her three nights a week delivery driving job as bosses wanted to replace her with Chinese workers.

But the decision was dramatically overturned after no one from the restaurant had turned up to the original tribunal. The owner, Jockwar Wong, complained he did not know the case was going ahead. A tribunal sat with both parties and decided to revoke the previous decision and start again.

After that decision had been made, a disappointed Miss Hickman vowed she was determined to fight on, saying she was confident she could win again, but it was decided in the interests of justice that the original decision had to be revoked and the case needed to be heard again.

The chairman, Brian Mitchell, had said: "Matters of racial discrimination are serious and can have a serious impact upon the reputation of any individuals or business."

Today's hearing, where a total of six witnesses were to be heard, including restaurant owner Mr Wong, was expected to last all day.

Mr Wong was due to give evidence through an interpreter.

Miss Hickman told the tribunal today that the matter stemmed from an incident where a co-worker had been reported to the DSS and Miss Hickman was asked if she was the one who reported her by the owner's teenage daughter, who worked behind the counter.

Miss Hickman's employment came to an end on June 22 last year from her job where she was being paid £60 per week basic wage with money per delivery on top.