Mowbray Mill director Wendy Langridge fined over ‘heartless’ treatment of employees

A TASMANIAN businesswoman has been fined $98,000 for her “heartless” treatment of long-term employees at the Mowbray Mill.

Former priest and convicted paedophile Louis Daniels leaving the Federal Court in Hobart today. Picture: PATRICK BILLINGS

A TASMANIAN businesswoman has been fined $98,000 for her treatment of long-term employees at the Mowbray Mill.

Judge Philip Burchardt has found that company director Wendy Langridge took advantage of the staff in “a fashion that could at the lowest be described as thoughtless but at the highest could be described as heartless”.

Thirteen former mill employees are owed almost $160,000 in outstanding wages and entitlements.

Handing down the penalty in the Federal Circuit Court, Judge Burchardt found that Langridge’s treatment of her staff had a “heart-wrenching” affect on her workers.

The penalty follows an investigation and legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

The 13 former mill workers, who are each owed between $6000 to $22,000, previously worked for company James Nelson Pty Ltd, which is now in liquidation.

Judge Burchardt found that Langridge, the company’s former director, unlawfully stood down six employees in 2013 and avoided paying wages, leave, termination and redundancy entitlements, and failed to pay a further seven.

The court noted that Langridge had facilitated the transfer of James Nelson’s business to Waverley-based company Southern Textiles Pty Ltd.

The transfer was made after the Fair Work Ombudsman sought an undertaking from the company not to disperse its assets, except to pay the workers their outstanding entitlements.

Judge Burchardt found that Langridge knew that it was not possible to pay the workers their redundancy entitlements if their employment was terminated, but made various promises to them that they would be paid.

“She must have known that having the employees stood-down without any form of payment and/or working and not being paid was extremely detrimental to them,” he said.

Langridge conceded that on occasions she had received money into her own private account that should have gone to James Nelson.

He described as “telling” Langridge’s decision to sign an undertaking not to distribute assets when she knew at the time they had already been distributed.

“The picture [Langridge] has sought to present is one of her being unwittingly placed in an impossible position,” Judge Burchardt said.

“I do not accept that this is the case. She has never apologised directly to the employees concerned. While I have no doubt that she is very sorry that things have come out as they have, the picture that emerges for me is that her primary regrets are more concerned with herself and her husband than with the employees.”

The penalty against Langridge represents 80 percent of the maximum $122,400 that could have been imposed.

The court also ordered an injunction restraining Langridge from being involved in breaches of workplace laws in the textile industry in future.