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Several former employees allege sexual misconduct at Wellington Combined Taxis’ call centre.
Citiva Leyland and Shanlon Robertson told Stuff about multiple incidents involving a manager’s alleged lewd remarks and unwanted touching.
Leyland said complaints to senior management came to nothing.
Several former employees have come forward alleging sexual misconduct at a Wellington taxi company’s call centre - including one incident where a woman says a manager grabbed her bum.
Women have complained to Stuff about regular sexual comments being made by a manager at Wellington Combined Taxis, as wellas moments where the behaviour became physical.
Citiva Leyland described multiple incidents where the manager allegedly made “seedy” comments to her, often over text.
“You’d get a text on Valentine’s Day, or the day after, and it would be like ‘do you have a sore forehead from banging it against the wall?’” she told Stuff.
“His favourite one was he would say ‘bend over and touch your toes and we will see if the sun is shining today’”.
She alleged the man would pester her to allow him to visit her at her home, until she eventually gave in. There, she said he hugged her and “grabbed each one of my butt cheeks” on his way out.
The behaviour is said to have happened in Wellington Combined Taxis' call centre. Photo / Hazel Osborne
When she took her complaint to senior management, she says she was told “if it happens again, come let me know”. Leyland said she went back again to complain later and alleges she was simply told “that is horrible”, but nothing came of it.
She also described another incident where she alleged the manager asked her if she could help him get an erection. At that point, she says she began looking for legal representation, but was made redundant before she could do anything.
Another ex-employee, Shanlon Robertson, said she started working at the call centre when she was 18. She said she was called into a meeting to be “told off”, and that the first thing the manager - the same one involved in Leyland’s allegations - said was “you better sit down quick or your arse will get d***ed.”
Robertson and her union delegate, Ben Walker, told Stuff about the incident, with Walker also claiming the manager made comments at other times about not being left alone with a staff member otherwise he would “rape” her.
Robertson described another incident with a different male colleague who would regularly pressure her to allow him to hug and kiss her, and would often kiss her cheek or forehead. She said this escalated to a kiss on the lips once as he left the office.
She said she did not report the incident to management as she believed they would “find a way to justify it”.
BDO said the administrators had recently become aware of the allegations through the media.
“The behaviour now alleged could be serious. Equally, the company can only address issues raised with it.”
It added that “company documentation indicates that proper processes followed in respect of all previous complaints.”
BDO gave the Herald a statement saying it would be prepared to invite the affected parties to raise any “specific outstanding issues or complaints directly with them”.
It said that would allow them to be “investigated and, as appropriate, addressed.”
