NAB rejects bank’s trading team “boys’ club culture” allegations

NAB has rejected bullying allegations raised by its former head of repo trading, saying the senior manager involved just carried a souvenir bat as a ‘fidget toy’.

NAB has rejected many of the allegations raised by its former head of repo trading in a court fight over workplace culture in the trading team.

National Australia Bank has rejected allegations from its former head of repo trading that she was harassed and bullied in her job, calling for the Federal Court to throw out her application.

Dikele Diawara had alleged she was subjected to a “boys’ club culture” in NAB’s trading team, claiming that she was underpaid and threatened with a baseball bat.

NAB disputes this, claiming the baseball bat was a “souvenir” and denied her allegations the trading team was “overwhelmingly” male.

NAB admits “approximately 90-94 per cent of those working on the Sydney trading desk were male,” during the period Ms Diawara’s complaint covers.

“In addition to women engaged on the trading desk, women were engaged in senior leadership positions within the Markets team,” NAB claims.

Ms Diawara had alleged conversations “frequently skewed to topics typically discussed by men including, but not limited to, sport” as proof of the male dominance in the trading floor.

In response NAB said it has no way of knowing this, noting it “does not have or keep records of conversations of all or any NAB employees on the Sydney trading desk”.

However, in response to further claims from Ms Diawara that she aired her concerns about the boys club culture, NAB alleges “none of the attendees who are currently employed by the Respondent recollect those matters”.

Ms Diawara in her statement of claim singled out her treatment by her senior manager head of trading Tim McCaughey, alleging he threatened her with a baseball bat and routinely ignored her.

In response, NAB rejects her allegations, noting Mr McCaughey “has no memory” or a conversation alleged in which he told MS Diawara he didn’t want to hear about a customer while allegedly clubbing a bat in his hands.

NAB head of repo trading Dikele Diawara, supplied July 2022

NAB alleges Ms Diawara’s claims he was brandishing the bat are “scandalous” but notes Mr McCaughey “does at times carry one of the souvenir bats (located in the trading room) when he walks around the trading room speaking with his colleagues as a fidget toy”.

“The souvenir baseball bat is approximately 40cm long,” NAB stated.

Ms Diawara had alleged Mr McCaughey had ignored her repeatedly and did not speak with her “for approximately two days after the applicant commenced work in the Sydney office”.

However, NAB says “it was commonplace that Mr McCaughey was working on time critical material and unable to talk to colleagues who had not previously arranged a meeting”.

Ms Diawara had also alleged she was humiliated by Mr McCaughey when he raised his hand to stop her talking.

“Mr Tim McCaughey does, at times, raise his hand and say “not now, I am busy” if he is approached by a colleague but is busy,” NAB stated.

“If Mr McCaughey is not available to speak with a colleague, he generally attempts to seek them out to assist them when he is available.”

“Mr McCaughey exhibits this behaviour to all his colleagues.”

The fallout from Ms Diawara’s initial allegations reported in The Australian have seen NAB launch an internal investigation into the trading team’s culture.

The Australian has revealed senior managers in the trading team had encouraged staff to manipulate workplace surveys to mask any dysfunction within the unit.

However, NAB chief executive Ross McEwan directly intervened in NAB’s May workplace survey, telling all staff the revelations were “so disappointing” and anyone found to have engaged in that behaviour would “discipline as we would want anyone who acts dishonestly”.

The Australian has revealed NAB’s trading team has seen a high level of turnover in recent years.

NAB corporate and institutional banking group executive David Gall said the bank would be defending the “extremely serious” matters.

“As this matter is before the Court we are unable to comment further. NAB is committed to supporting equality and diversity in the workplace,” he said.