The Tullamarine glass company director, who subjected two apprentices to ongoing bullying, has been convicted and fined $60,000.
Melbourne Glass Solutions sole director Steven Yousif was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on December 11, after pleading guilty to a single charge of being an officer of a company that failed to provide and maintain safe systems of work.
Yousif was also ordered to pay costs of $60,000.
The court heard Yousif subjected the two apprentices to physical violence, verbal insults, threats and intimidation between March 2019 and May 2021.
WorkSafe said one of the apprentices was employed by Yousif for approximately two years and during that time they were verbally insulted, threatened with dismissal and prevented from attending TAFE courses.
WorkSafe said the apprentice was also harmed physically, including at the Christmas party in 2020 where he was taped to a crane topless and slapped by Yousif, in an incident partly filmed and then circulated on social media.
As a result of the bullying, the apprentice is said to have had ongoing mental health struggles.
WorkSafe said the other apprentice worked for Yousif for approximately 12 months and was left feeling fearful, intimidated and insulted after being subjected to verbal insults, threats of dismissal and also prevented from attending TAFE.
A WorkSafe investigation found Melbourne Glass Solutions did not provide and maintain adequate policies and procedures to manage the risk associated with workplace bullying and that its system of work permitted or failed to stop or reduce bullying conduct.
WorkSafe health and safety executive director Narelle Beer said apprentices could be at more of a risk in the workplace because of their inexperience and reluctance to speak up if something is wrong.
“This case is deeply disturbing, not only because of the horrific bullying and violence these apprentices were subjected to, but that it was perpetrated by the one person who should have always had their backs – their boss,” Ms Beer said.
“Disgusting behaviour like this will simply not be tolerated and it’s up to employers to set the standard and ensure there are policies and procedures in place to prevent, respond and report workplace bullying.”
