Australia Post Wins The Tony

Date: 20 December 2002

Australia Post was tonight awarded the inaugural Tony Award for Australia's worst boss.

The Tony, sponsored by the Labor Council of NSW, recognises employer bastardry that best reflects the ethos of Federal Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott who famously observed in July:

"A bad boss is like a bad father - notwithstanding all his faults you find he tends to do more good than harm. He may be a bad boss, but at least he's employing someone while he is in fact a boss."

The Labor Council embarked on a nationwide search to test Abbott's theory, with a shortlist of four finalists - Australia Post, Barminco,Virgin Mobile and Morrisey Malcolm Direct Marketing.

Labor Council secretary John Robertson tonight announced Australia Post was the winner citing a series of incidents including:
- docking the pay of a worker for having photos on her desk
- summarily standing down overweight and ill workers
- removing the stool from a postal worker
- disciplining workers for overuse of toilet paper

"Australia Post's management have been a shining light in embracing Tony Abbott's bloody-minded vision of the modern workplace," Mr Robertson said.

"Managers have been nit-picking, small-minded and sometimes downright churlish, turning work into an ordeal.

"We where overwhelmed with responses to our contest, but at the end of the day it was Australia Post that continued to push the envelope for workplace bastardry."

A trophy depicting Tony Abbott in a traditional cassock will be held on Australia Post's behalf in the Labor Council building.

For background on the Tony Awards go to: http://labor.net.au/tony_awards

For further information

Union:	Labor Council of NSW
Phone:	Peter Lewis
Contact Mobile:	0413 873 285

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