Racist remarks take toll on forklift driver

News Story
- 17 Aug 2006 ( #273 ) - SYDNEY, Australia
1 min read
A Toll Holdings Ltd forklift driver who was called a "f***ing bomb chucker" while at work has been awarded AUD25,000 in compensation and legal costs.

Mohamed Abdulrahman, born in Australia to Lebanese migrants, testified to the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal that his Toll manager repeatedly asked him: "What happened to your cousins?"

Abdulrahman said that, during a work meeting, a union delegate said: "What do you think, you want to go home with AUD1 million and chuck bombs around Australia?"

Toll state manager Jamie Primmer told Green Left Weekly Abdulrahman's complaint had been without foundation, but Toll union delegate Les Pointing said name-calling and racial slurs were common at the Sydney Toll plant.

The tribunal awarded compensation and legal costs but did not order Toll to apologise, saying there was "little value in an apology that was not genuine".

Toll will appeal against the decision.

Toll is a transport company that generated revenue of AUD8 billion in 2005/06.
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