Former head of women’s underwear at Australia’s Pacific Brands, Sally Berkeley, says her redundancy was a sham, her dismissal unlawful, and alleges she was in fact sacked for requesting a pay rise and standing up to bullying.
Ms Berkeley, who has launched a multi-million dollar unlawful dismissal case, alleges she “experienced and was subjected to bullying and unacceptable behaviour” from underwear general manager Ross Taylor, including two instances of “being verbally abused” for being late to a meeting.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Ms Berkeley was made redundant by Pacific Brands in early December and sacked before Christmas, after allegedly copying confidential documents from her laptop.
But Ms Berkeley denies deliberately copying confidential documents and alleges she was sacked for requesting a pay rise when she was promoted and for ''standing up to the bullying conduct of Mr Taylor''.
She’s seeking AU$8.95 million, including more than AU$8.3 million for ''anticipated future economic loss'' and AU$500,000 for ''dislocation of life, pain and suffering, stress, humiliation and loss of professional reputation''.
A spokesman for Pacific Brands, a company that boasts a superior record in the employment of women in senior positions, says Ms Berkeley’s claims were fully investigated before she was sacked and were found not to have any substance.
The case has been scheduled for a directions hearing in Melbourne on July 22.
Ms Berkeley will be represented by renowned law firm Harmers Workplace, who ran a AU$37 million sexual harassment claim last year brought by publicist, Kirsty Fraser-Kirk, against David Jones and its former chief executive Mark McInnes.
3 News