Former Dundee teacher Mike Barile claims the city council’s ex-chief executive Alex Stephen “positively encouraged” former education director Anne Wilson to abuse her power.
“Dundee City Council should be being investigated by an independent authority. Who that would be I don’t know but it should be independent.”
He added: “I’m not coming from the position of a disgruntled ex-employee. I’m 64 and I would have liked to retire in the correct way, but I have nothing to hide.”
Councillor Kevin Keenan, who was leader of the administration at the time the Linda Ross case initially blew up, has called for a “drains-up” probe as council officials continue to pore over the highly damaging tribunal judgment.
He said: “The chief executive (David Dorward) should look to undertake a drains-up exercise to ensure we can see what has gone wrong and we can learn from it.
“Councillors set the policies and managers have the right to manage but clearly they must operate fairly.”
On Monday, council officials were trying to decide their next move in a series of meetings involving top officials. No decision had been taken as to whether internal proceedings would be taken against any member of council staff implicated in the report.
Administration leader Councillor Ken Guild said the authority’s legal officers would be looking in detail at the judgment and deciding what their next step will be. He said it was possible a report would be brought before councillors for discussion.
He said: “Our legal officers are now looking at this and the implications of it.”
Mr Barile lost his job at Lawside Academy after being technically found guilty of assaulting pupils at the school in December 2008 a decision since quashed by the appeals court.
He had previously claimed the pair presided over a “school bully” culture in the education department, marginalising anyone who spoke out against the system.
He has now backed calls by Councillor Ian Borthwick for a full investigation into the Linda Ross case (link).
Mr Barile contacted The Courier to add his voice to the furore surrounding the council’s handling of former Longhaugh Primary School deputy head Linda Ross, who was sacked for gross misconduct after disciplinary hearings.
The judgment from her employment tribunal severely criticised the city council and found it had dismissed her unfairly, had disregarded its own procedures and ignored its own legal team’s advice.
Mr Barile said: “I support Mr Borthwick’s call for an investigation as it will clearly show that ultimately the only person responsible for the unjust decision to ignore procedures/legal advice was former chief executive Alex Stephen.”
Following the tribunal releasing its verdict in July, Mr Barile said Anne Wilson and Alex Stephen had “victimised” Mrs Ross.
Meanwhile another former council employee who was sacked from his job as a concierge caretaker at the Alexander Street multis after private investigators reported him for being away from his place of work without permission said any investigation must be held independently.
David McHardy, of Finlaggan Place, agreed with Mr Borthwick that there must be a full investigation but said it should not be run by the council.
“There has to be an investigation into the managers that were running Dundee City Council,” he said. “Some of the stuff that was going on when they were in charge was utterly shocking. They are bullies, and it mirrors everything that I’ve read in The Courier about Mike Barile and Linda Ross.
“They didn’t want to hear what you had to say. People had made their minds up already that you were getting dismissed that was it.
Continued…
Mr Barile lost his job at Lawside Academy after being technically found guilty of assaulting pupils at the school in December 2008 a decision since quashed by the appeals court.
He had previously claimed the pair presided over a “school bully” culture in the education department, marginalising anyone who spoke out against the system.
He has now backed calls by Councillor Ian Borthwick for a full investigation into the Linda Ross case (link).
Mr Barile contacted The Courier to add his voice to the furore surrounding the council’s handling of former Longhaugh Primary School deputy head Linda Ross, who was sacked for gross misconduct after disciplinary hearings.
The judgment from her employment tribunal severely criticised the city council and found it had dismissed her unfairly, had disregarded its own procedures and ignored its own legal team’s advice.
Mr Barile said: “I support Mr Borthwick’s call for an investigation as it will clearly show that ultimately the only person responsible for the unjust decision to ignore procedures/legal advice was former chief executive Alex Stephen.”
Following the tribunal releasing its verdict in July, Mr Barile said Anne Wilson and Alex Stephen had “victimised” Mrs Ross.
Meanwhile another former council employee who was sacked from his job as a concierge caretaker at the Alexander Street multis after private investigators reported him for being away from his place of work without permission said any investigation must be held independently.
David McHardy, of Finlaggan Place, agreed with Mr Borthwick that there must be a full investigation but said it should not be run by the council.
“There has to be an investigation into the managers that were running Dundee City Council,” he said. “Some of the stuff that was going on when they were in charge was utterly shocking. They are bullies, and it mirrors everything that I’ve read in The Courier about Mike Barile and Linda Ross.
“They didn’t want to hear what you had to say. People had made their minds up already that you were getting dismissed that was it.
Continued…