Super Retail vows to fight Federal Court workplace victimsation case

Super Retail Group has rejected the workplace harassment claims filed by its former chief legal officer Rebecca Farrell against the company and vowed to defend its position in court.

The company has confirmed in a stock exchange filing that had been notified of a statement of claim by a former employee, represented by Harmers Workplace Lawyers, at the Federal Court of Australia.

However, Harmers Workplace Lawyers said it is acting for four clients who are whistleblowers against Super Retail Group, with one of the clients supplying the company with the statement of claim.

The law firm added that Super Retail Group failed to disclose that the litigation will extend to its MD and CEO Anthony Heraghty.

The claims include the alleged non-disclosure of an intimate relationship between Heraghty and the former chief human resources officer Jane Kelly (who is not one of the claimants).

Harmers Workplace Lawyers added that a third party, not related to the Rebel and Supercheap Auto parent, provided evidence to the law firm about the previously undisclosed relationship between Heraghty and Kelly.

The law firm noted that the accused company claims that the relationship, which allegedly impacted governance issues, only began in January this year.

“The deliberate misrepresentations by SRG, and an internal campaign of suppression via fear, is threatening the safety of the whistleblowers concerned and a number of SRG staff,” said the law firm.

In April, the company said it was expecting two employees to jointly claim $30 million to $50 million in losses and damages in court proceedings.

The company said the claims included inappropriate company travel; bullying, victimisation and adverse treatment; giving unreasonable workloads to particular corporate employees, providing insufficient resources and restricted access to information; and unsatisfactory company record management.

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