The editor of the Sunday Independent claimed at an Employment Appeals Tribunal yesterday that no bullying took place in his newspaper.
Mr Aengus Fanning was giving evidence on behalf of Independent Newspapers (Ire land) Ltd in an action for constructive dismissal taken by the newspaper's former crime correspondent, Ms Liz Allen, against the newspaper group. She alleges bullying and harassment by colleagues caused her to suffer ill health and forced her to resign last September.
Under cross-examination by Mr Tom Mallon, for Ms Allen, Mr Fanning acknowledged he had "very little knowledge" of a draft document on bullying drawn up for the newspaper group. "I plead that I should know about this," he said.
He was asked to spend several minutes in the witness box reading sections of the document before being questioned on it. He accepted that as editor he had a general responsibility to ensure bullying did not happen, "but these things don't happen in our newspaper", he said. Mr Fanning said he did not see until this Tuesday a letter written by Ms Allen in April 2000 to her news editor, Mr Willie Kealy, and copied to the human resources department, in which she complained of feeling isolated and marginalised in the newsroom. Ms Allen had claimed in her evidence she gave him a copy of it.
"Not only did she not give it to me, I know why she didn't," he said. He believed Ms Allen did not show it to him because it overstated the flexibility of the working terms she had agreed with him. However, had he seen the letter, he said he would have regarded the content as "a most serious complaint and I would have had to take decisive action".
He said he never received any formal complaints from Ms Allen about bullying or harassment. What he received were "low-level grumbles" about her not being appreciated. He thought highly of her and reassured her on these occasions.
When he head-hunted Ms Allen to replace Veronica Guerin, Mr Fanning gave her wide latitude and a free hand in regard to how she would do her work, but did not say she would never have to attend the office.
A direction to her from Mr Kealy in April 2000 to be at her desk from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or she would be regarded as absent, was "school-masterish". However he did not see the memo as offensive or constituting bullying and did not feel it warranted litigation or a tribunal.
He was irritated that Mr Kealy issued the memo without consulting with him, but when he spoke to Mr Kealy, he was reassured it had been withdrawn. However, he did not check back with Ms Allen to see if the matter was resolved to her satisfaction.
He denied "hitting the roof" when Ms Allen refused to do a gossip column replacing Terry Keane's, and said efforts by Mr Kealy and Mr Jody Corcoran, assistant news editor, to introduce morning meetings in the newsroom - to which Ms Allen objected - were an attempt to pin her down.
Mr Kealy had complained to him that Ms Allen's work rate had declined, that she was hard to contact and elusive.
He found her letter of resignation unbelievable and replied to it, describing her decision as "precipitate and unwarranted". He did not want to go around afterwards "like a bull in a china shop" and was guided instead by legal advice.