Tony Dunker claims he was «thrown under a bus». Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images. he was barred from meetings with senior politicians for several months due to a sexual harassment scandal, and his former boss threatened to sue over allegations that he had been made a «front guy».
Another chaotic day for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) legal expert has warned that an independent investigation into alleged rape, sexual assault and serious managerial misconduct could drag on for six months.
This came on behalf of Tony Dunkera, a former CBI CEO fired last week amid separate allegations of misconduct, said he was «thrown under a bus» and is considering legal action against his former employer.
The Telegraph may also report that the CBI has urged employers to create «safe spaces»; to have their employees complain about their superiors a year before the scandal broke.
Now is the "time to move forward" The Diversity and Inclusion Guide, released in 2022, also urged businesses to help employees «feel mentally safe»; At work.
While apologizing for behavior that made some junior employees «very uncomfortable,» Mr Dunker insisted that his name was erroneously linked to more serious allegations leveled against other managers by female junior employees.
< p>He told the BBC: «They didn't just throw me under the bus, they flipped the bus back over me.
«I had a week of reporting that «Tony Dunker was fired because of rape scandal» and these stories were about rape and sexual assault, cocaine and bullying.
«All this had nothing to do with me, and all this was before my time.»
Mr Dunker said the CBI letter said the reasons for his dismissal were that he was looking social media accounts of employees; sent non-work related messages to employees on work messaging platforms; invited junior staff to one-on-one meetings at breakfast and lunch; and organized a private karaoke party for 15 people after a Christmas work event.
The former CEO claimed he contacted staff during the pandemic to keep morale up and that the one-on-one meetings were part of a mentoring program.
He was also accused of sending a barrage of unsolicited sexual messages to a female employee who deemed it harassment, but he insisted that he «never used sexual language» with any of the employees.< /p>
But Brian McBride, president of the CBI, responded to Mr. Dunker's «selective» version of events and dared to sue the organization if he felt he had been treated unfairly.
"The board has lost credibility and confidence in my ability to lead the organization and represent the CBI in public.” Mr McBride added.
He urged the government to re-engage with the CBI, even as the criminal investigation continues, amid fears that the voice of business will be absent from key policy discussions.
CBI President Brian McBride is to oversee a culture review of the lobbying group in light of prosecution misconduct. Credit: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Conservative government ministers and the Labor shadow cabinet have 'suspended' normal relations with the CBI pending an independent investigation by law firm Fox Williams shortly.
But in the absence of a guaranteed end date, there is a possibility that the lobbying organization will not be able to properly perform its functions for several months.
Charlie Thompson, partner and labor law expert at Stewarts, said that internal hopes for a speedy conclusion to the investigation may not materialize, as there is no guarantee that it will be completed even after six months.
He said: “You only have to look at some high-profile internal investigations at other large organizations to see that these things can drag on for so long, so I don't think it's out of the question.
"While the CBI may want to end this quickly, it may not be possible — it has the ability to run and run."
A separate investigation by the City of London Police, which can last even longer, further complicates the situation.
Ministers do not rule out re-engagement with the CBI until the police investigation is completed, but a Whitehall source said that would depend on the outcome of the Fox Williams investigation.
At the same time, however, Mr. Dunker's remarks on Wednesday did little to dispel concerns that the trade organization is in the grips of an existential crisis.
“Tony’s intervention has given them even more attention,” a Whitehall source said.
The Telegraph understands that Labor cannot resume normal relations with the CBI until the police investigation is completed.
The prospect of a CBI ban on negotiations with leading politicians will be a major headache for new CEO Rein Newton-Smith, the organization's former chief economist, who is expected to leave his current position at Barclays in the coming weeks.
Her returned to stabilize the ship, but a member of the CBI warned that without access to ministers and high-ranking opposition figures, the «integrity» of the lobbying organization was in doubt.< /p>
«This would be a huge problem,» said the participant. “Of course, we are still far from the elections, but, in fact, in the run-up to next year's elections, you need to ensure that the voice of business is properly heard when the parties work on their manifestos.”
“And, in Ultimately, the main reason companies join CBI is because they have access to political decision makers and can tell you what they think."
CBI declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
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