"This poor woman didn't get even a sniff at proper compensation.
It's one rule for the rich and one for the poor."
As Hecate points out it's one rule for everyone based on calculations using their earnings so of course the "rich" or "poor" are proportionately awarded because their future loss of earnings is based on what they currently earn.
But yes I do think the dinner lady was hard done by but procedural unfairness (e.g. not following disciplinary/dismissal proceedings properly) are subject to statutory limitations which discrimination awards are not. And as the Dr was being discrimination on under at least two grounds - her nationality and her gender, then this would have increased the amount hugely.
Having been on the receiving end of bullying throughout pregnancy and maternity leave resulting in me being under psychiatric care and on ADs (no mental health issues previously - union rep diagnosed me with PND because I was upset at bullying line manager's demands for me to attend an annual performance appraisal 5 days after I had given birth - thank god for my outraged and v articulate GP) it can be career ruining. I spent 7 years of studying and passing exams to qualify for my job and probably around £50k (it would be more now!).
I start a new job in January but despite an agreed reference being part of my settlement agreed 6 months ago, my old company have still not provided a reference and ex-work colleagues have kindly stepped up and written personal ones. LinkedIn and the number of lovely recommendations I received from people for my work has also helped so I don't have to rely on them keeping to their agreement they signed. I just can't fight them anymore.
If you have someone gunning for you in a very personal way as it seems with the Dr's case here it is absolutely debilitating. At my worst I was surviving on 15 hours of sleep a week while my 6 month old baby was sleeping through no problems (many parents have to but apart from the extreme stress I should have been feeling grateful my DS turned out to be a good sleeper). My hair has still not properly recovered (alopoecia) and the more I discovered about her campaign behind the scenes (necessary for my case) the worse it got. They even placed her in a hotel 5 minutes from my home so I felt I was trapped in my home while on maternity leave in case I ran into her.
You'd be amazed at what one individual in a massive multinational corporation can get away with if they're determined and nasty enough. I still run the risk of seeing her everyday but I go a sufficiently long circuitous route out of my house if I have to go past the hotel during the days she works in town still. I am still highly sensitive and am concerned that a passing comment/roll of the eyes about having children or me needing to get away to pick up my son at my new job (I was far more robust before) will knock me back to the shivering wreck I was just because I now seem to have trigger points after her constant nasty comments and more shockingly, concerted efforts (she fiddled redundancy scoring figures telling me I had scored less than anyone else and then when it came to it the scores could not be produced because I never was scored - she was so sure she would get me out she told my assistant to bin my files 2 weeks before the redundancy selection/application process was announced!) to get me out. I did not received even 1% of what the Dr has but I can't help but hope that regardless what compensation was given, the people responsible lose their jobs.