Home Australia Sydney Metro chief’s wild claim about why he missed out on a top promotion – as he launches legal battle in court

Sydney Metro chief’s wild claim about why he missed out on a top promotion – as he launches legal battle in court

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Gordon Scully, 43, (pictured with his wife) launched legal action against his employer, Sydney Metro, last year.
  • Gordon Fraser Scully has launched a court battle against Sydney Metro
  • Scot claims he was racially discriminated against for his ‘accent’

EXCLUSIVE

A legal dispute has erupted between Sydney Metro’s top bosses as a Scottish-born project manager claims to have suffered racial discrimination and bullying in the workplace.

Gordon Fraser Scully, 43, is currently an associate director in the Metro policing sector after working on Australia’s largest public transport project for eight years.

But in legal action against the NSW Department of Transport, it alleges it suffered racial discrimination in 2023.

According to his claim filed in the New South Wales Civil Court, Scully applied for a promotion in February 2023 and interviewed for the position in April.

However, he was unsuccessful and claims he missed out because a boss told colleagues that “people couldn’t understand him because of his Scottish accent.”

A colleague told Mr. Scully on March 21, 2023 that the manager said the project director “talked too much, his communication style was causing misunderstandings, or his approach was wrong.”

Scully interpreted the comments as “potentially racially vindictive and directed at my Scottish accent and heritage,” according to documents filed in her claim.

Gordon Scully, 43, (pictured with his wife) launched legal action against his employer, Sydney Metro, last year.

The Sydney Metro is Australia's largest public transport project. Pictured is one of the project's construction sites in western Sydney.

The Sydney Metro is Australia’s largest public transport project. Pictured is one of the project’s construction sites in western Sydney.

Two days later, Mr Scully attended a meeting with the colleague and his second manager, where he informed them that there had been comments that were “not positive” and that his style was “not acceptable to others and there is too much conflict”. .

After the meeting, Mr Scully concluded that there appeared to be “an association between my racial background and the ongoing recruitment process”.

Scully also claims that another colleague told him to “go outside and throw yourself under a bus” in June 2023 because he sent an email to a senior manager criticizing his behavior during a meeting.

Scully launched her legal action last August, alleging that Sydney Metro breached anti-discrimination laws by denying or limiting her access to opportunities on the basis of race.

However, his matter was dismissed last month after the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal found there was no evidence Scully had been discriminated against for being Scottish.

During the hearing, Scully said he believed he had been discriminated against because of his Scottish accent and heritage, but admitted that no one had claimed or inferred that was the case.

During the hearing, Scully said he believed he had been discriminated against because of his Scottish accent and heritage, but admitted that no one had stated or inferred that was the case.

Pictured is a Sydney Metro train during testing in 2018.

Pictured is a Sydney Metro train during testing in 2018.

In her ruling, senior member Larissa Andelman noted that while Scully believes the problems identified by her colleague stem from her race or accent, she also acknowledged that no one directly stated or implied that that was the case.

“There is no evidence that the claim that Mr. Scully talked too much was related to his Scottish heritage,” Andelman concluded.

“There is no evidence that the defendant preferred to appoint a non-Scottish person to the position.

“There was no evidence of any association between Mr Scully’s Scottish heritage and the decisions made by the defendant during the recruitment process.

“Further, Mr. Scully was interviewed for the position after the March 23 meeting and there is no evidence that the meeting had any bearing on the hiring process or decision-making.”

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Scully for comment.

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