Bunhill: Equality causes a fit

TOM FARMER, the boss of Kwik-Fit, thought he was doing his bit for our unequal society when he announced a year ago that, within four years, one in four of his Kwik- Fit fitters would be female. Since he employs 2,000 fitters, that was no small initiative.

The recruitment has been going well, so imagine his surprise when he received a letter recently from the

Equal Opportunities Commission telling him to stop it. Apparently, the commission had only just learned of his campaign, to which it took grave exception, since he is discriminating against men.

'They said it was illegal. You just can't win,' said a Kwik-Fit spokesman. For the sake of form, Farmer has sent back a suitably polite reply. But privately he is fuming - and who can blame him?

(Photograph omitted)