Liberal chief Peter Dutton has emerged as an unlikely ally of activist Sally Rugg in her office battle with Teal unbiased Monique Ryan suggesting the Victorian MP is a “prickly character.”
Dr Ryan and her chief of employees will face off within the Federal Court on Friday throughout an pressing listening to earlier than Justice Debra Mortimer.
Ms Rugg‘s lawyers are seeking an injunction restraining Dr Ryan from firing Ms Rugg arguing it is in contravention of the Fair Work Act and follows a dispute over “unreasonable hours.”
Speaking today on 2GB, host Ray Hadley suggested Ms Rugg wanted to work ‘9 to 5’ within the job and that was the issue.
Parliamentary sources nevertheless say Ms Rugg truly labored as much as 70 hours every week and her hours had been so lengthy that Dr Ryan gave interviews the place she warned it was solely a matter of time earlier than there was a nasty consequence.
“Okay, now you’ve been in politics for a fair chunk of time,’’ Mr Hadley asked Mr Dutton.
“Monique Ryan’s former Chief of Staff Sally Rugg, launching actions because she was deemed to have been asked to work unreasonable work hours. So, obviously Ms Rugg was of the opinion that when she started work, it was a nine to five sort of job. You start at nine, finish at five, and annoying phone calls that came in at 10 o’clock at night were not part of the operation?”
But as a substitute of backing Hadley’s declare, Mr Dutton mentioned he thought the main focus ought to be turned on the MP.
“Well, I’d be really interested Ray, to have a further look at Monique Ryan’s employment history, and interactions with other people in workplaces where she’s been before, because I know that she’s described by some of the other teals as quite a prickly character,’’ he said.
“Now, I don‘t work closely with her, but that’s their account. I just really think it bears a little more scrutiny.
“But Monique Ryan is a Green. I mean, there‘s no sense pretending that she’s a disaffected Liberal. She was a member of the Labor Party, and left them because they weren’t left wing enough.
“So, I think a lot of people in Kooyong, frankly, might be looking at Monique Ryan and wondering whether she’s got the qualities that are required to be an effective local member that can act in their interests instead of her own. So, I think this is still a bit of a way to go on this issue.”
Workplace legal professionals imagine Ms Rugg‘s legal claim could emerge as a landmark case challenging the standard acceptance that political staffers should work 12 hours a day or longer without complaint.
In October, Dr Ryan told The Australian that the hours her staff including Sally Rugg worked were “unsustainable”, given some staff were working more than 70 hours a week.
“It’s not wholesome. I feel it’s solely a matter of time earlier than now we have a poor consequence with one among our employees members,” she mentioned.
Dr Ryan additionally raised eyebrows in Canberra by requiring employees to signal confidentiality clauses as a situation of employment.
In a job commercial for her place as diary supervisor was a observe that “all employees are expected to sign a confidentiality agreement”.
Other employees who work for Teal independents have informed news.com.au they weren’t required to signal such clauses on high of current employment contracts.
Political staffers who work for the independents informed news.com.au that they regarded each Dr Ryan and Ms Rugg as hardworking and that the falling out was “sad”.
Ms Rugg labored as a chief of employees, press secretary, parliamentary adviser and speechwriter within the workplace flying to Canberra and dealing 70 hour weeks when Parliament was sitting.
She earned a base wage of lower than $140,000 a 12 months plus allowances and superannuation.
Source: www.news.com.au
