Christine Ehlers - sacked after having sex-change operations - was dismissed because she was incompetent, moody, irrational, caused fights at the office, and was unable to work with colleagues, the Johannesburg Labour Court was told yesterday.

In the dispute between Ehlers and multinational steel retailer Bohler Uddeholm Africa, the company's lawyer, Louise Charoux, argued that Ehlers's sex change had nothing to do with her dismissal.

Ehlers is fighting for her job back, or for two years' salary. Ehlers's lawyer, Andre Schmidt, argued that the steel retailer was guilty of discrimination because it had changed its behaviour towards her after learning that she was undergoing sex-change surgery.

Ehlers said she had worked as a freelance contractor since September 2007 and was permanently employed by Bohler Uddeholm as a sales representative in January the following year. She was fired on January 28 last year.