Hundreds of ABC staff met to discuss the fallout following the sacking Antoinette Lattouf
Staff around the country have gathered to voice their concerns over the sacking of Antoinette Lattouf and said a ‘culturally informed process’ for supporting staff must be established.
ABC staff have demanded managing director David Anderson return from leave immediately and explain to employees why fill-in radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf was sacked from her role last month.
Hundreds of ABC employees from around the country attended an online meeting on Wednesday organised by members of the media union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, and passed a motion that ABC management and board members ensure there is a thorough complaints processes that staff can access.
ABC staff also requested management and board members sit with unions to “establish a culturally informed process for appropriately supporting staff who face criticism or attack.”
Lattouf, a Lebanese-Australian, was sacked by the ABC on December 20 just three days into her five-day stint as a fill-in presenter on ABC Sydney radio’s mornings program for Sarah Macdonald.
She has lodged an unlawful termination claim with the Fair Work Commission over her sacking and the case will be heard in Sydney on Thursday before deputy president Gerard Boyce.
In documents seen by The Australian, the ABC states that an Instagram post by Lattouf was discovered on December 20 about the Israel-Hamas conflict that including a comment by her that read, “HRW (Human Rights Watch) reporting starvation as a tool of war”.
ABC bosses including chief content officer Chris Oliver-Taylor, head of audio content Ben Latimer, editorial director Simon Melkman and ABC head of capital city network Steve Ahern met to discuss the post.
The documents says Mr Oliver-Taylor formed the view Lattouf breached directions given to her about her use of social media and he decided she should not perform her last two shifts that week.
She was sacked a short time later.
An MEAA spokesman said on Wednesday the union was waiting to hear back from Mr Anderson regarding Lattouf’s sacking and whether he would address staff over the matter.
Despite reports this week that ABC staff had threatened to walk out over the taxpayer-funded broadcaster’s handling of Lattouf’s sacking the union said this was not accurate.
Mr Anderson said in a statement on Wednesday: “As the most scrutinised media organisation in Australia, the ABC takes legitimate criticism, feedback and complaints seriously, and addresses them in line with our editorial policies, complaints handling procedures and our editorial guidelines, as is appropriate.”
He also refuted claims that ABC had been influenced by external pressure from any advocacy or lobby groups when making decisions and said staff will continued to be supported.
The Australian revealed on Tuesday Lattouf had doubled down on her criticism of ABC bosses including chair Ita Buttrose and Mr Anderson after sharing a now-deleted social media post that declared the pair will be forced to resign over her job termination.
When Lattouf was contacted about the post she would not comment.
She has also set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for her legal fees and she is being represented by Maurice Blackburn’s employment lawyer principal Josh Bornstein.
Lattouf has received more than 1300 donations worth more than $58,900.
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