Labour’s disgraceful handling of complaints about sexual abuse among its staff and volunteers are now finally being picked up by the mainstream media and not before time. Andrea Vance and Alison Mau, both of whom can rightfully be considered to be supporters of this current government, have banded together to condemn the government for its treatment of sexual abuse victims. So they should. Alison Mau, in particular, is the face of #metoo in New Zealand, and it would be hypocritical of her not to criticise the government for
Labour’s president Nigel Haworth barred complainants and witnesses in an alleged bullying and sexual harassment case from one of Parliament’s main buildings.
Leaked emails show Haworth and other senior officials instructed the women, all Labour party members, to stay away from the Labour party offices in Bowen House, where the man at the centre of their complaints works.
One witness was ordered to stay away from the entire 22-storey office block, which houses Ministers, MPs and public servants.
In just about every other workplace, the accused would have been stood down pending an investigation into his behaviour. The fact that this has not happened in the corridors of the government in this country makes a mockery of any claim Labour has to be a safe workplace, or that it aims to protect workers’ rights.
Telling the victims to simply avoid the place where the alleged offender works is no solution. It does not reduce the victims’ continued stress, and basically, it lets the offender get away with it. Worse still, Labour could be seen to be condoning his behaviour. Sexual abuse is a crime, in case no one in the government realises.
The parliamentary staffer is the subject of a series of bullying, harassment and sexual assault claims. He was also barred from another building, where some of the women worked.
In an email to complainants in July, Haworth, the party’s top official since 2015, wrote: “there is a continuing need to maintain an appropriate degree of separation between you and [the subject of complaints].”
Ten days later, general secretary Andre Anderson wrote asking a witness to stay away from Bowen House.
“We acknowledge the stress that these matters are placing you all under and feel that maintaining a physical separation is an appropriate interim measure… as you are each making important contributions to the Party, we are hoping that this arrangement reduces any impact that the presence of one of the other parties may cause while these matters are being resolved.”
He added: “There may be other Party activities where you encounter each other, but where it would be both complicated and unfair to prescribe in advance who can and cannot attend. In these cases, we ask that you respect the fact that the other person may feel the need to leave.”
There is no doubt that they are condoning the alleged offender’s behaviour. In the halls of government, this is a disgrace.
The man, who Stuff cannot identify for legal reasons, is employed in the Labour Leader’s Office, a unit set up to help Labour MPs with the everyday business of Parliament.
He is a public servant employed by Parliamentary Service, not the Labour party.
The witness told Stuff that the women were unhappy with this decision and pointed out that they were required to attend work meetings in Bowen House.
He is employed in the Labour leader’s office but neither Alison or Andrea could bring themselves to actually point out that this means that he is employed in the office of the Prime
Labour’s ruling council agreed to investigate the claims of bullying and harassment in February and appointed three party members to investigate.
Interviews took place in March, and in June they delivered a report to the Council, which recommended no disciplinary action be taken. Council accepted that recommendation.
This decision was reached by three party members. Hardly an independent panel, is it?
The complainants were unsatisfied and began questioning Haworth, Lacey and Anderson about an appeals process.
There was no right of appeal in Labour’s constitution, but the party agreed to ask its solicitor, Hayden Wilson of Kensington Swan, to undertake a review of “procedural matters”. He would not re-investigate whether misconduct took place.
Some of the complainants decided to go public, sending an email to media outlets. An email from Anderson, on Jul 23rd, shows senior Labour figures were already aware of the allegations. These included: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and her chief of staff Mike Munro, deputy chief of staff Raj Nahna, and chief press secretary Andrew Campbell.
Stuff
The prime minister knows there are accusations of sexual assault against a man who works in her own office and yet he is still working there.
It is clear that the rules around sexual harassment in the workplace only apply to everyone else, not those at the highest echelons of government itself. There, it seems, if you are well enough liked, you can get away with anything.
This is disgraceful on the part of Jacinda and her party, who should be doing everything possible to make their staff feel safe at work. And it seems that finally, the tide has turned. Some of the journalists who generally support this government cannot support this behaviour. Nor should they. Now it remains to be seen if the media keep the pressure on Labour to take the right action, or if it will just be swept under the carpet, like so many other dodgy things done by this government.