WorkCover employee fights bullying claim

 Saffron Howden
September 22, 2010
Workplace Bullying
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A WorkCover employee and union delegate has filed a victimisation claim against the agency after it accused her of bullying, partly because she stopped inviting two colleagues to lunch.

The state government body responsible for workplace safety, WorkCover, is under investigation over a serious internal bullying and harassment problem, but has turned concerns about systemic bullying onto a union representative who complained about it.

The NSW Finance Minister, Michael Daley, yesterday announced an inquiry into bullying within the organisation's licensing unit following revelations in the Herald that harassment, intimidation and fear were rife.

The Chief Executive of WorkCover, Lisa Hunt, addressed licensing staff yesterday morning. A general union meeting passed a resolution condemning the lack of action on bullying and calling for the premier's department inquiry to be broadened to encompass the whole organisation.

One employee of the Licensing Solutions Unit, who is also a workplace union representative, is already fighting accusations she is a bully.

In a letter in June to the woman - who, when contacted by the Herald, declined to comment and asked not to be named - WorkCover said she was guilty of ''repeated inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour which may be characterised as bullying''.

Among 18 allegations against the staff member was that she excluded two colleagues from social activities and lunch. She also repeatedly stated loudly that she hated ''this f---ing place'', WorkCover said.

Her union, the Public Service Association, has said the woman is being victimised because of her position as a union delegate who had herself reported bullying to managers.

''Now another staff member is being dragged through the courts because WorkCover refuses to sit down and talk,'' said the PSA assistant general secretary, Steve Turner.

''WorkCover has been failing its staff for many years, with systemic bullying, constant minor complaints against staff and poor management styles.''

Mr Turner said that despite constant calls since 2007 to address its bullying problems, WorkCover had done nothing to adequately respond.

The PSA said it supported the minister's inquiry. The victimisation case has been set down for conciliation in the Industrial Relations Commission this week.

The Herald has been inundated with complaints about WorkCover from current and former employees, as well as from businesses.

One former licensing unit worker sobbed as she described how her self-confidence was destroyed by her former manager. ''She broke me, basically,'' she said. ''I honestly thought I was good at what I did.

''You had to be careful who you spoke to because you didn't know who would come after you. It's still happening, and that's the worst part about it. It's not fair on people. They've got young people in there now as cadets, and they don't know what's going on. They don't know you shouldn't be treated like that.''

Over the past five years in WorkCover there had been 19 workers compensation claims for mental stress, including for work pressure, bullying, harassment and exposure to a traumatic event, a spokeswoman said.

Thirty-one per cent of these arose from client contact in difficult circumstances, she said. The agency has said it takes all reports of bullying seriously and has free and confidential counselling services available.

showden@smh.com.au