ABC hires notorious ‘union-busting firm’ for Antoinette Lattouf case
The ABC has hired notoriously anti-union law firm Seyfarth Shaw to defend the unlawful dismissal case brought by Antoinette Lattouf.
The appointment of the “union-busting” law firm was first reported by the broadcaster’s own ‘ABC Investigations’ team, who confirmed it was engaged on January 8, a week before ABC filed its defence in the case.
Lattouf is alleging the ABC illegally sacked her during a five-day freelance stint at ABC Sydney after she shared a social media post accusing Israel as using starvation as a “weapon of war”.
The ABC alleges it didn’t sack her, but simply removed her from air as she “failed or refused to comply with directions that she not post on social media about matters of controversy during the short period she was presenting”.
The broadcaster declined to comment on the Seyfarth Shaw appointment to Mumbrella, however gave a short statement to its own online outlet, saying Seyfarth Shaw was “a highly regarded law firm that focuses on providing employment law advice” and “the ABC has worked with Seyfarth Shaw on a range of employment issues in the past”.
Mumbrella has also contacted the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, and will update the story with their thoughts on what this particular appointment suggests.
Victoria’s Country Fire Authority was raked over the coals after hiring Seyfarth Shaw during a three-year collective bargaining battle with the United Firefighters Union of Australia.
The CFA’s chief executive Lucinda Nolan told Senate inquiry in 2016 she wouldn’t have hired the firm, had she known its reputation as a union-busting firm.
“Because it is a red rag to a bull, so that takes away from the intent about the advice that I was seeking. I was not seeking to inflame the union. I was seeking to actually work in a consultative way,” Nolan said.
During that same hearing, United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall said the firm’s reputation is clear cut.
“It did not surprise me when the revelation was made that that firm was engaged,” Marshall said.
“If anyone wants to do a cursory ‘Google’, they have been involved in union busting and are designated as a union-busting firm in the United States.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Deputy Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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topics
ABC
Antoinette Lattouf
MEAA
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Peter Marshall
Seyfarth Shaw
United Firefighters Union
It’s good to see all this fuss over what happened to her. I can’t help wondering where all the support was from the MEAA over what happened with me, which was 1000x worse. Give them hell Antoinette. And if the new ABC boss doesn’t launch a full investigation into what happened with me, then he’s instantly as corrupt as his predecessors.
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