Dikele Diawara: NAB employee claims she ‘paid $150,000 less than a man doing the same job’

An employee of one of Australia’s largest banks tries to expose the salaries of her male colleagues after discovering that she was paid up to $150,000 less than them.

Dikele Diawara, the former head of NAB’s repo trading, has reinitiated a harassment and discrimination case in Federal Court against the banking giant in an attempt to prove it was underpaid.

She first filed her case in April of last year, alleging that she had been subjected to years of underpayment, discrimination and harassment.

Ms. Diawara alleged that NAB had used discriminatory pay practices that caused her to receive significantly less pay, up to $150,000, than men with the same or similar roles within the organization.

Ms Diawara, who describes herself in court documents as a black French citizen, alleged that she felt upset, insulted and humiliated.

She claimed to have felt discriminated against and ‘less valued’ than her male colleagues, who she said were male, Australian citizens and ‘not black’.

On Wednesday, Ms Diawara’s lawyers revealed that attempts to settle the case with the bank had failed after the case went to mediation in September last year.

On behalf of Ms Diawara, Christopher Parkin said her request to expose the highest male salaries in the NAB was part of a larger effort by Ms Diawara.

It would help prove his claim that NAB’s markets team had a ‘boys’ club’ culture, the court was told.

NAB (Sydney headquarters pictured) claimed that there was no period of time that Ms Diawara worked during which her total remuneration was less than that of her peers.

Ms. Diawara alleged that a boss approached her desk with a baseball bat in hand, causing her to “feel intimidated and scared” (court documents pictured)

On behalf of the bank, Robyn Sweet SC said the request was “premature” and would not provide useful information for the court.

“What we see being searched for is extremely broad and extremely cumbersome for the respondent,” he said.

Ms Sweet said the bank had made “repeated offers” to give Ms Diawara “any particular document that she would like us to deliver.”

Judge Melissa Perry said the payment question “goes to the heart” of the case, but added that both sides must finalize their arguments before the matter can move forward.

She ordered Ms Diawara’s lawyers to submit their updated statement of claim by 4:00 p.m. Thursday, while NAB had until March 22 to update its defense.

According to court documents obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Ms Diawara claimed that when she mentioned her low salary to NAB’s global repo head David Bateman in 2017, nothing was done until 2019, when the bank gave her a raise. salary of $150,000.

She claimed that the bank did not refund her pay or “otherwise compensate the applicant for the period of time she worked” and paid her “less than her male colleagues.”

The bank claimed that there was no period of time in which Ms. Diawara worked during which her total remuneration was less than that of her colleagues “because those colleagues were male”.

Court documents allege that on Ms Diawara’s first day at NAB’s Sydney office, she approached one of her bosses, who raised his hand and told her abruptly: “Not now, I’m busy.”

It was also alleged in late 2019 or early 2020 that the same boss had approached Ms. Diawara’s desk with a baseball bat in her hands, causing her to “feel intimidated and scared.”

Court documents said the bank rejected Ms Diawara’s claim and that the baseball bat was a “fidget toy” the executive carried around the trading room.

In its defense, NAB stated that Mr. Bateman “does not remember the plaintiff complaining about the issues” related to his salary.

NAB also rejected claims that it had discussed complaints about bullying or discrimination by the fidget toy executive.