Global exploiter in court

Labour hire giant Adecco faces accusations of unfair 
dismissal, discrimination, sexual harassment, safety 
shortcomings, sacking a worker with epilepsy, and losing $480,000 
through management incompetence. The claims are contained in 
actions against the Swiss-based transnational being tested in 
separate Queensland jurisdictions.

Adecco, which supplies thousands of workers to Australian 
companies every week, has already agreed to pay an epilepsy 
sufferer thousands of dollars in compensation after he was dumped 
from a job in Rockhampton.

That sacking, in August 2003, according to evidence which will go 
before the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) in Brisbane, led 
to the dismissal of a branch manager who went into bat for the 
epilepsy sufferer.

In an affidavit, Adecco's Gladstone branch manager, Brian 
Robertson, says the company rejected his argument the man should 
have been transferred to light duties.

Robertson paints the company that bills itself "the global leader 
in employment services" as dysfunctional. He says he saw nine 
state managers come and go in eight years, and that Adecco 
dropped $480,000, in one instance, because its Townsville office 
did not obtain timesheets from clients.

He will tell the IRC that a senior manager told him to give the 
epileptic spurious reasons for his dismissal.

Robertson alleges problems with his employer began when he was 
informed by Workcover Adecco could be in breach of health and 
safety laws because it did not have rehab officers on major 
sites.

He claims that when he took up his problems with an Adecco 
director she told him, and others, that he sounded "old and 
grumpy and needed to get laid".

Robertson also contends Adecco threatened him over a statement he 
gave in support of the epileptic worker's Anti-Discrimination 
Commission case against the company.

The seriousness of that charge was reflected on by IRC 
Commissioner Ashbury in her assessment of an unsuccessful 
conciliation conference at which Adecco refused to consider 
reinstatement.

"I am also concerned about the applicant's allegations in 
relation to his evidence [to the Anti-Discrimination 
Commission]", the Commissioner said.

"Those allegations are serious. The applicant should raise that 
matter with those representing the applicant in the case in which 
he is giving evidence or with staff of the Anti-Discrimination 
Commission. Alternatively the applicant can provide an affidavit 
to the Commission detailing his allegations and it will be 
referred to the appropriate authority."

A Brisbane source says the Anti-Discrimination Commission has 
told Robertson to submit documentation on the witness 
intimidation claim by July 28, and informed Adecco it will have 
to provide a written response.