Teachers sue over bullying

Evonne Barry
From: Sunday Herald Sun December 27, 2009 12:00AM


A BULLYING crisis among teachers at a Melbourne school could cost Victorians more than $1 million.

Four teachers from Werribee Secondary College - the school at the centre of a sexual-assault-on-DVD scandal three years ago - are taking legal action for what they claim is psychological damage resulting from bullying and harassment by colleagues.

They say they have hired lawyers and are expected to take their cases to court next year, with claims ranging from damages to loss of income - as a result of their employment at Werribee Secondary College.

Another has received a $140,000 payment. In May, Paul Unsworth successfully argued his depression was aggravated during performance reviews at the college.

The teachers have collectively spent several years on paid leave, accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars in WorkCover payments.

This development comes as a WorkSafe study shows two in five Victorian teachers report being victims of occupation bullying - double the state average.

The study - reported in the Sunday Herald Sun on December 6 - found 39 per cent of staff in the education and training sector suffer intimidation or abuse.

The Werribee "bullying" claims are expected to cost taxpayers and Victorian employers who pay WorkSafe premiums as much as $1 million.

One former Werribee SC teacher, who has not taken legal action but left the college "out of exasperation" several years ago, said she still suffered the consequences.

"I went to my new school very vulnerable, and I still have issues (because of my experiences)," she said.

This teacher, now working at another Victorian school, said WorkCover payments were an easy get-out clause for schools whose staff complained about bullying and favouritism.

"Who cares? They don't. It's a drop in the ocean and (the school) doesn't have to pay," she said.

One former Werribee SC teacher preparing for legal action, and who is on 75 per cent of her $45,000 wage while not working, said she fell into a "deep depression" after not being supported following a workplace injury.