Virgin Atlantic was yesterday ordered by the High Court to pay £300,000 to two beauty therapists who developed chronic repetitive strain injury (RSI) from giving massage to the airline's first-class passangers.
Jayne Evans, 40, and Michelle Hindmarch,35, developed chronic muscle pain while administering intensive shiatsu pressure massages at Virgin's Terminal 3 Clubhouse at Heathrow airport.
Mrs Evans from Ruislip who was awarded the sum of £230,972 in compensation told the court how she became distressed and was sent home after a particularly ardous session in October 2005 in which a large male customer asked her to massage even harder than usual.
Both women were dogged by pain in their shoulders, upper back and wrists which left them unable to perform simple tasks such as peeling carrots or taking a Sunday roast out of the oven.
Mrs Evans told the Court that her condition was so bad she feels pain in her arms when washing her hair and struggles to push a supermarket trolley or even put on a pair jeans.
Mrs Hindmarch, of Banstead, Surrey, who has left the company said there were insufficient breaks between long therapy sessions. They had to work long shifts, without sufficient breaks, for a steady stream of customers. Mrs Hindmarch was awarded £69,458 in compensation.
Virgin did not dispute liability for the women's RSI but contested the amount of compensation and the extent of the injuries.
Mr. Theodore Huckle, their Barrister said both women were forced to abandon their cherished careers as beauty therapists, which was devasting for them.