ABC 'refused entry' to union boss Sally McManus
ACTU secretary Sally McManus has accused the ABC of refusing to let her on the premises of the public broadcaster for a talk to union members on Wednesday.
In an astonishing tweet, McManus said the ABC was "the first employer in the country to say 'no' to me being allowed on their premises to talk to their employees" since she was elected in March last year.
The leader of Australia's union peak body said she had visited "many, many workplaces across the country - maybe one a week" in her time in the role, including "factories, building sites, offices, casinos, schools, hospitals, yards and workshops".
"In every case, the employer has been happy to have me visit," Ms McManus said.
But when delegates from the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and the Community and Public Sector Union invited her to speak to ABC staff at the public broadcaster's Ultimo headquarters on Wednesday, they say they were unable to secure permission from management for the visit.
Sinddy Ealy, ABC section secretary for the CPSU, said delegates had written to ABC management five weeks ago to tell them about the event, requesting that a room be allocated for the talk and permission for Ms McManus to speak.
"Management wrote back and offered room but refused to let Sally in," Ms Ealy said.
Delegates then wrote to the ABC's acting chairman David Anderson on November 1, asking why permission for Ms McManus' appearance had been declined.
Ms Ealy said the ABC "has not acknowledged that correspondence to date".
A furious Ms McManus said the refusal "would say a lot about the culture and attitude of some in management".
An ABC spokeswoman said the public broadcaster was "still in the process of discussing with Sally McManus and the CPSU the nature of the event Ms McManus is proposing to attend".
"No final decision has been made," the spokeswoman said.
Tweeting about the stand-off while ABC's Four Corners program aired its segment on the public broadcaster's explosive leadership breakdown, Ms McManus said most employers welcomed her visits.
"In fact, many are proud to give me a tour and a rundown of their workplace and I've had great chats with supervisors, site managers, school principals, head nurses and CEOs alongside my talks with union members which have cause little if any disruption," she said.
"Of course a tour would not be necessary in this case, as I have visited the ABC at Ultimo many, many times to be interviewed over the years. No doubt I will have to visit soon...This makes this decision even more bizarre."
She added: "Hopefully this is just a misunderstanding."
Ms McManus said she intended to show up for the event, scheduled for lunchtime on Wednesday, regardless of whether permission is granted.
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