Staffer sues top DJs boss in row over promotions and vax status

A top fashion executive at a David Jones has been accused of belittling and excessively criticising an employee as part of a $435,000 discrimination lawsuit.

Bridget Veals has been named in the lawsuit. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)

A top David Jones clothing executive has been accused of banning a junior staffer from a work trip to global fashion capitals because she was not vaccinated against Covid-19, after multiple requests for promotion were denied.

Bridget Veals, the general manager of womenswear, footwear and accessories at the major department store, has been named in the lawsuit brought in the Federal Circuit Court by former international women’s clothing and shoe buyer Shannon Pilling.

Ms Pilling, who lived in Brisbane with her parents during the pandemic, has sued Ms Veals and David Jones in the Brisbane court for at least $435,000 in compensation alleging the retailer discriminated against her because of her Covid-19 vaccination status.

Bridget Veals. (Photo by Sam Tabone/WireImage)

Ms Pilling also alleges she was discriminated against because she made an internal company grievance complaint against Ms Veals, alleging Ms Veals bullied and harassed her due to her Covid status and had constructively demoted her.

Her grievance complaint was ultimately resolved as “not substantiated”.

Ms Pilling has asked the Federal Circuit Court to also ban David Jones and Ms Veals from “disparaging” her.

The case is due in court on February 17.

Ms Pilling worked for David Jones from February 2015 to July 2023.

She started at the bottom rung as a buyer’s assistant and worked her way up to managing up to three “international ready to wear” departments by 2022.

She claims she was working at much higher level in 2022 but still being paid as a junior buyer grade, and that promotions promised by Ms Veals never eventuated.

Bridget Veals (right) with actress and fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker at the David Jones Sydney store. Picture: Daily Telegraph/ Flavio Brancaleone

She claims she made a total of 16 complaints to her bosses about lack of promotion, excessive workload and over the details of her return to work in the office after remote working at her parents’ home in Brisbane during Covid.

“Taking on an additional department at junior buyer level without any progression or an ongoing arrangement is not a good outcome for me” she wrote in an email quoted in court documents.

David Jones say she was sacked in 2023 “due to a failure to comply with a lawful and reasonable direction” and argue Ms Pilling has not suffered any loss or damage.

Ms Pilling alleges Ms Veals belittled, and excessively criticised her choice of dresses and prints in front of a seller from designer Isabel Marant, described by the New York Times as “Modern Parisian Cool”.

Ms Pilling says that during an online meeting with a seller from Isabel Marant on June 7, 2022 Ms Veals “belittled” Ms Pilling’s “choice of dresses and prints during the showing” by the Marant vendor.

Ms Pilling also alleged that Veals was “excessively critical and/or dismissive of the prints and dresses which” Ms Pilling chose and showed “passive aggressive behaviour” in response to Ms Pilling’s suggestions.

In its defence, David Jones and Veals claim at this meeting Ms Pilling “did not turn on her camera, despite this being standard protocol” and “did not appear to be doing her due diligence and seemed to be rushing through the buy, despite the significant funds involved and impact on (David Jones) business and profitability”.

Ms Pilling says on May 31, 2022, the day after she lodged her sixth complaint about lack of promised promotion, she was quizzed about her Covid vaccination status and asked to provide proof, and alleges she was banned from an international buyers trip in 2022 because she was not vaccinated for Covid-19.

Ms Pilling, who lived in Brisbane with her parents during the pandemic, has sued Ms Veals and David Jones in the Brisbane court for at least $435,000 in compensation alleging the retailer discriminated against her because of her Covid-19 vaccination status.

Clothing and shoe buyer Shannon Pilling alleges she was discriminated against because she made an internal company grievance complaint against Ms Veals. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Prior to the pandemic, from January 2019, she had travelled to Paris, Milan and London multiple times a year, spending up to 24 weeks overseas, to visit suppliers, she claims her court documents.

She claims she was hurt and humiliated in front of her colleagues on June 14 2022 when Ms Veals “publicly stated in front of the meeting attendees that” Ms Pilling “would not be attending” the international buyer trip in September because she had not been vaccinated.

She alleges that even though David Jones did not impose a Covid-19 vaccine mandate on its staff and disclosure of vaccination status was not mandatory, Ms Veals had a different attitude.

“Throughout October to December 2021 Ms Veals arbitrarily implemented informal incentives for staff who were vaccinated, such as early finish times,” Ms Pilling alleges, a claim which is denied by Ms Veals.

Ms Veals says in her defence that David Jones “made a company-wide push to encourage people to become vaccinated with incentives offered” and she had no control over the incentives.

Ms Pilling claims Ms Veals said at a staff meeting she agreed “unvaccinated people don’t deserve to be taking up hospital beds”.

Ms Veals says she does not recall a comment like this ever being made at a staff meeting.

The claim Ms Veals would, during the course of work-in-progress meetings, “make each team member publicly update her on their vaccination status” has been denied.

The claim Ms Veals would “send large group emails to staff notifying staff of teams who were all fully vaccinated” has also been denied.

“(Ms Veals) held strong outspoken opinions that all people should receive the Covid vaccination”, Ms Pilling alleges, a claim which is denied.

The $435,000 compensation claim is based on the assumption that if she had not been discriminated against she would have been promoted to buyer on a $150,000 annual salary and stayed in the job for at least two years, the claim states.

The retailer argues in its defence that even if Ms Pilling is successful in her case, a “newly promoted buyer” would only earn $90,000 and “even the most experienced buyers” at David Jones “do not earn $150,000”.

The case is due in court next month.

The Sunday Mail has contacted the lawyers for Ms Pilling and David Jones who declined to comment.