Three Australian Post workers have been fired after anonymously sending a younger employee sexually explicit candy from an adult entertainment store.
The trio of workers, Rebecca Possingham, Sue Tregeagle and Alisha Jury, were suspended from their duties at the Australia Post Modbury North Delivery Center on June 20 after an internal investigation was launched into the March prank.
The details uncovered by the investigation were presented to the Fair Work Commission after Possingham, who worked at Australia Post for seven years, brought an unfair dismissal case which was dismissed last week.
The commission heard the trio bought the sweets at nearby adult store, Sexyland, and directed them to their colleague, in her early twenties.
The joke arose after the young woman expressed concern about delivering packages to the sex shop because it made her “uncomfortable.”
The X-rated package arrived at the delivery center in northeast Adelaide on April 4 and Ms Possingham handed it to the young woman.
Opening the anonymous package, she found an assortment of candies that said “blow me,” “eat my pussy,” “fuck me,” “big cock,” “undress me,” and “come on.” Fuck’.
The young woman reported the incident to her manager and her mother – who also worked at the center – and Australia Post began an investigation.
Sue Tregeagle was one of three Australia Post workers suspended over the incident.
Three women employees at the Australia Post Modbury North Delivery Center (pictured) have been suspended after a prank on a younger colleague backfired.
The commission heard that Ms Jury had been worried about the prank, but Ms Possingham told her “don’t worry, it will be fine, it will be fun”.
The women were told not to discuss the matter during the active investigation, but Possingham is alleged to have sent several text messages to the victim’s mother.
She claimed to be the “complainant” of the incident and accused the mother of stabbing her in the back, the commission heard.
“Get your knives off my back,” his text message read.
“I am innocent in this matter and always was and always will be.”
The trio was suspended from duty on June 20 following the investigation.
While Ms Jury was able to return to Australia Post in a junior role at a different facility following an internal appeal, Ms Possingham appealed to the commission for “unfair or unreasonable” dismissal and sought reinstatement or compensation.
But Fair Work Commission deputy chair Peter Anderson ruled her claim should be dismissed and that Ms Possingham had breached her employment obligations under Australia Post’s discrimination and harassment policies.
The prank, which led to the dismissal of two other officials, involved the trio anonymously buying the worker candy with obscene phrases at adult store Sexyland (pictured).
Pictured is the X-rated candy sent to Sexyland’s youngest employee.
“Ms Possingham committed serious and deliberate misconduct by actively participating in a scheme to anonymously send a package of a sexual nature to a young employee,” he said.
“She made a foolish error in judgment, was an experienced employee who should have known better, failed to cure the violation, falsely denied her involvement, and then attempted to place the entire burden of responsibility on others.”
‘Rather than acknowledge her partial involvement, Mrs Possingham compounded the rift with deflections, evasions and denials.
“Taking all relevant factors into account, Ms Possingham’s dismissal was not harsh, unfair or unreasonable.”
Mr Anderson added that, given his experience in the role, he should have stopped the plan after Ms Jury raised concerns.