MICHAEL Marra has responded after a Labour MSP was reportedly accused of bullying and creating a “toxic” and “chaotic” working environment by multiple former members of staff.
Monica Lennon – who stood unsuccessfully against Marra for the Scottish Labour leadership – returned to Holyrood as a regional MSP for Glasgow in July following Anas Sarwar's resignation as he took a peerage in the House of Lords.
But The Scotsman has now reported that at least four former staffers who worked for Lennon during her previous time at Holyrood have accused her of bullying.
Lennon has strongly refuted the claims and has described the allegations as “completely untrue and defamatory”.
Asked about the reports in Holyrood on Thursday, Marra said: “My first priority in all of this is that people have a right to come to their work and do their job and to feel they can speak up about any issue at any time.”
The new Scottish Labour leader said that he had spoken to Lennon last night.
He added: “I can confirm that neither the Labour group nor the party have complaints at the moment. Our process on this is to follow due process going forward.”
Asked by a journalist what that means, Marra said: “It means that if there are complaints they will be treated with respect and looked at. But we don’t have complaints at the moment.”
The SNP, meanwhile, hit out at Marra’s initial response.
“Michael Marra called a press conference to deliver a ten second message that left more questions than answers,” SNP MSP Clare Haughey said.
“Is Monica Lennon suspended? Was Michael Marra aware of these claims during the Labour leadership contest?”
She added: “These are serious allegations that Michael Marra and Jackie Baillie would be screaming from the rooftops about if it happened elsewhere.
“Let’s not forget Jackie Baillie runs their vetting process so it’s inconceivable she would not be aware of such allegations.” A senior Scottish Labour source told The Scotsman that multiple former staff members have signed confidentiality agreements after complaining about Lennon’s behaviour, with some also receiving lump sum payments.
It was also reported that union sources, from different unions, also confirmed they dealt with staff complaints regarding Lennon’s behaviour.
Lennon has refuted the allegation as she said: “While my policy has always been not to comment on staffing matters, these allegations are completely untrue and defamatory.
“There are rightly policies and procedures in place for any employee to raise concerns about their employers.”
