ABC staff turn on national broadcaster over legal battle with Antoinette Lattouf

ABC officials are urging the national broadcaster to drop its legal battle and settle its case against journalist Antoinette Lattouf to avoid “higher costs”.

Lattouf was fired from the ABC in December over her reporting on the war in Gaza, just three days into her job as a stand-in on Radio Sydney’s morning show.

The former radio presenter took legal action against the ABC through the Fair Work Commission, claiming the decision was political, based on her views on Palestine and her Lebanese heritage.

The ABC has since rejected Lattouf’s settlement request, which includes a public apology, reinstatement as a substitute radio presenter and $85,000.

The national broadcaster has defended itself against the claim of unfair dismissal and is said to have made an undisclosed counter-offer.

The ABC’s national trade union committee said the broadcaster’s staff were disappointed that management had rejected Lattouf’s settlement offer.

The union members claimed the offer was “modest” and called on chair Kim Williams and the board to intervene if ABC management continues with the matter.

“Arguing that Ms. Lattouf was not fired and then rejecting a modest offer of an early settlement does not appear to us to be an example of litigious conduct,” the House committee said. The age.

Lattouf filed a Fair Work claim against the ABC after she was fired as a stand-in on Radio Sydney’s morning show over her social media posts about the war in Gaza

The committee argued that continuing the defense would destroy the case. ‘risk of rising costs, which will reduce operational and personnel budgets’.

Members urged the ABC to settle with the former radio stand-in “rather than continue to incur these costs and fight a staff member who has done nothing wrong”, ahead of a February 27 Federal Court hearing.

Lattouf was fired by ABC on December 20, minutes after her program ended on Wednesday and just hours after a member of a Jewish WhatsApp group called for a day of action against her.

The 40-year-old was taken off the air after just three days of working as a week-long stand-in for ABC Radio after she posted a Human Rights Watch video about the use of famine as a weapon of war in Gaza.

She subsequently filed a complaint with Fair Work, alleging that she had been dismissed because of her political views and her Lebanese heritage.

Lattouf’s legal team alleges that the ABC breached disciplinary rules in the company agreement by firing the journalist.

The ABC alleged she breached the organisation’s social media policy on impartiality and that she was not actually fired as she was being paid for the entire week.

However, in June the Fair Work Commission ruled that Lattouf had indeed been dismissed by the national broadcaster.

The ABC’s total legal costs in the case against Lattouf remain unknown, despite chief executive David Anderson answering questions during the Senate estimates meeting in May.

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi asked Mr Anderson about the ABC’s legal costs.

“The public has a right to know how much the ABC is spending to defend the dismissal of journalist Antoinette Lattouf for reporting a fact that the ABC itself reported,” Faruqi said.

The national broadcaster has defended itself against the claim of unfair dismissal and reportedly made an undisclosed counter-offer

Mr Faruqi wrote to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland last week calling the government’s delay in releasing the figures “completely unacceptable”.

The ABC committee also criticised management for failing to disclose legal costs and hiring major US law firm Seyfarth Shaw to handle the dispute.

The firm is known for handling disputes involving employees and unions and has defended well-known companies in the past including Amazon, Starbucks and Apple.

The government is reportedly processing the query regarding ABC’s legal fees so far and will provide a response once it becomes available.