FG TD denies bullying claim by assistant

A prominent Fine Gael backbencher has denied he harassed and bullied a former staff member, alleging she shared sensitive tally information with potential political rivals.

Cathy Shevlin, a former secretarial assistant to Seán Conlan TD (Cavan-Monaghan), has taken an unfair dismissal action against Mr Conlan. The case was heard before the Employment Appeals Tribunal in Dublin yesterday.

The hearing was briefly adjourned after Mr Conlan declined to specify to whom he claimed Ms Shevlin gave the information, because Fine Gael activists were present.

Mr Conlan is contesting the case and strongly denied that Ms Shevlin, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, was subjected to "bullying and harassment" by him and another staff member.

Ms Shevlin became Mr Conlan's secretarial assistant, a position that pays gross €623 a week, after the 2011 general election. A TD is entitled to hire two staff members – a secretarial and parliamentary assistant. He said two parliamentary assistants had worked for him before. At Ms Shevlin's suggestion, he hired Sarah Comiskey in 2012. They were all friends, he said.

Mr Conlan claims he gave Ms Shevlin an oral warning in July 2012 for sharing confidential tally information he had collected at the general election – and that she had said she was entitled to do so as a member of the Fine Gael executive in the county.

Ms Comiskey had told him of Ms Shevlin’s actions, he said. The information was given to people who “would not be politically sympathetic to me”. Ms Shevlin contests this.

“I’m sure she could explain who she gave the information to,” Mr Conlan said.

Tribunal chairwoman Niamh O’Carroll Kelly then told Mr Conlan he had to follow through on his allegations, but Mr Conlan declined. “There’s lots of people in this room who are politically active,” Mr Conlan said. “Cathy’s solicitor is a member of Fine Gael who actively canvassed against me getting the ticket in 2011.”

Tom Mallon, taking instructions from solicitor Emer Holohan, for Ms Shevlin, interjected, saying: "Stop this. Better stop this right now." The hearing was briefly adjourned. Ms O'Carroll Kelly said Mr Conlan was making serious allegations and that Ms Shevlin was entitled to know to whom she was alleged to have passed information.

Mr Conlan said he was “afraid” Ms Shevlin was going to provide the information to members of the Fine Gael county executive, but Ms O’Carroll Kelly said his story had changed.

Mr Conlan also claims Ms Shevlin intended to give information from Fine Gael membership databases, such as email addresses and telephone numbers, to others outside the office. This is also contested by Ms Shevlin.

He claims he gave her an oral warning on this in August 2012 and that she undermined him by posting a Facebook message about his non-attendance at a constituency event.

In September 2012, he claims, Ms Comiskey and Ms Shevlin had an argument in the office, after which he organised a meeting between the three. Mr Mallon said Ms Shevlin was “reduced to tears” and “became hysterical” as a result of the meeting. “She couldn’t drive home; she stopped and cried,” Mr Mallon said. “She never went back to work again.”

Ms Shevlin went on sick leave. Both sides differed about the level of engagement and offers of mediation prior to her employment ending in March 2013. Frances Meenan, for Mr Conlan, claimed there had been “numerous offers of mediation”.

The case is expected to continue for another two days in December.