Prank presenter Mel Greig files legal action against Southern Cross Austereo
Michael Christian and Mel Greig
Today Network host Mel Greig has filed legal action against her employer Southern Cross Austereo for allegedly failing to provide a safe workplace over her involvement in the royal prank call.
In a document filed with the Fair Work Commission this week, Greig claims her employer did not maintain a safe workplace in relation to her involvement in the prank.
Greig, 31, and her co-host Michael “MC” Christian had impersonated the Queen and Prince Charles on a call to the London hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for morning sickness in December, ostensibly seeking information about her condition.
Nurse Jacintha Saldanha transferred the call and the recording was re-broadcast by 2Day FM and the wider national Today Network sparking a media furore in Britain. Three days later, the nurse killed herself.
Greig has been off the air since the prank. Meanwhile Christian returned to the Sydney station in February and was later reportedly awarded the station’s “next top jock” award.
The Fair Work Commission claim will call for both parties to attend a conciliation conference where they will confidentially attempt to resolve their differences. If an outcome is not reached it will go before a federal court.
Greig’s lawyer, Slater & Gordon’s Steven Lewis said in an emailed statement to Mumbrella: “I can confirm that a general protections application has been filed with Fair Work Australia on behalf of Mel Greig against Southern Cross Austereo.
“The application alleges Southern Cross Austereo failed to maintain a safe workplace. The matter will proceed to confidential conciliation under the Fair Work Act. Ms Greig continues to be employed by Southern Cross Austereo. Ms Greig will not be making any comments on this matter.”
A spokesman for Southern Cross Austereo declined to comment on the legal action.
The legal battle is not the only one, SCA is currently embroiled in over the incident. It is also taking legal action to try to prevent an investigation by the Australian Communication and Media Authority.
No. Just…. no.
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Feels a teensy bit like attempting to wash one’s hands of any blame by obfuscating the issue and purporting to be a victim. Too harsh?
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And fair enough… as naive as this was of Greig, we all know she was just doing what her employer expected of her. Employers can’t expect to build a culture of unethical/illegal behaviour, yet claim innocence when their staff are caught behaving in such a manner.
As we saw on this week’s MediaWatch, a convicted Sun journo saying, “One thing that everybody in this room shares … is that we were arrested, thrown into police cells, treated as common criminals in front of our children, our families, our neighbours, our friends and our colleagues for doing nothing more than the company expected of us. Nothing.”
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Also know as outsourcing personal responsibilit to your lawyer.y. It’s a sick joke, just like to the PR stunt
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I have a degree of sympathy for her but even the most casual observer of the industry knows what the company is like, what sort of radio they encourage and the type of talent they elevate. Any company that allows a child to be strapped to a lie detector or doesn’t immediately fire everyone when they are told about it , is clearly putting profit over common decency. At the end of the day it’s your voice and your name and you’re the one talking on air. You can always say no and go and do something else.
This is the Network that employs Matty Johns and Wayne Carey. Hopefully they will have their license taken away at some point.
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Not too harsh at all, Lucio. Allow me to be a bit harsher! And as for “we all know she was just doing what her employer expected of her”….. Pffft. Does this mean that if your employer DOES have a culture of unethical/illegal or just plain fucking stupid behaviour, it’s fine to participate in the behaviour and then when you are held responsible for your actions start to whine “they made me do it”??????
What bollocks. “Failing to maintain a safe workplace” is when you get your arm cut off because your company cannot be bothered to maintain plant. Not when you behave badly and then don’t want to own or take the consequences of that behaviour.
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is the unsafe workplace she is referring to the very same one that her on air partner was working in on the day of the event and in fact, continues to work in it?
So is he also suing?
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If anyone is to blame, it’s the hospital for a.) not providing / appointing a single hospital staff member to deal with enquirers regarding high profile patients / royals, and b.) not providing the nurse with counseling, and/or appropriate training.
What’s most disconcerting is that somebody feels the drastic measure of taking ones own life because of potential workplace repercussions.
In terms of media involvement – it would have been forgotten after its15 minutes, just like everything else.
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@Travis a good point, which had me for a moment but then I thought she did accept the job, and the money that went with it. It was bad luck though to touch someone on the way through who clearly had some major problems before they nudged her too hard.
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I dont blame her! Why should the brunt of this saga rest will Mel, whilst her counterpart gets rewarded, Austereo continues to profit and the world goes on. Not that I ever listened to the show, I feel very sorry for this young woman. Her career is in tatters. I totally blame the producers of this ghastly show, they DID and still DO have a duty of care to her.
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The buck didn’t stop where Mel thought it should have stopped.
So now Mel is hoping because she didn’t think that the
buck should have stopped with her, she’s going to go
for bucks from where she thought the buck shoud have stopped.
Who let the lawyers out?
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