Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

HR practice

Network Rail HR chief to be confronted over conduct by union boss at AGM

by Kat Baker 4 Jun 2009
by Kat Baker 4 Jun 2009

A rail union chief will publicly challenge Network Rail at its annual general meeting (AGM) over the conduct of the organisation’s HR chief, Personnel Today has learned.


Gerry Doherty, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), said he would confront Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail, over his continued defence of HR director Peter Bennett, during the AGM on 22 July.


It has been claimed Bennett sacked two female workers while they underwent fertility treatment, asked another to remove her blouse so he could see her holiday bikini lines, and forced another employee to leave after calling her a “f**king black bitch”.


Bennett is alleged to have signed 155 separate confidentiality agreements worth up to £950,000 in three years to cover his tracks.


Doherty said: “I shall be challenging Coucher at the AGM as to how he can defend the indefensible when it comes to Bennett’s behaviour in the workplace.”


A senior rail industry source close to Network Rail told Personnel Today that an internal inquiry into Bennett’s behaviour undertaken in November 2007 found that he had in fact acted “inappropriately” towards female colleagues – despite Network Rail since claiming Bennett had done nothing wrong.


The inquiry report said: “Peter Bennett has made repeated innuendos, jokes and comments in relation to gender or race.” But it said no action was necessary as he had not acted maliciously.


Doherty has already spoken to transport secretary Geoff Hoon and Network Rail’s chairman Ian McAllister calling for action against Bennett. Labour MP Jim Devine also attacked the HR boss in parliament last month, raising concerns put forward by the TSSA, claiming Bennett was “presiding over a culture of fear and bullying”.


Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Doherty added: “[Peter Bennett] should at least be suspended while an independent inquiry is held into how he has spent millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money covering up flagrant breaches of employment law.”


Network Rail refused to comment further on the allegations, but had said previously: “We have conducted an investigation and we found no grounds to take any disciplinary action.”

Kat Baker

previous post
Shell fined £300,000 for fire safety breaches
next post
E-recruitment favoured over employment agencies during recession

You may also like

What do HR specialists enjoy most about their...

21 Mar 2025

King’s College London get top marks for HR...

20 Nov 2024

Personnel Today Awards 2024: The shortlists in full

13 Nov 2024

CIPD launches HR support pilot scheme for SMEs

7 Oct 2024

Are managers equipped to handle workplace conflict?

24 Sep 2024

Reimagining the employee lifecycle as a public sector...

5 Sep 2024

Employers urged to take action during riots

7 Aug 2024

HR changes save NHS Wales board £740k and...

6 Aug 2024

HR ‘unprepared’ for AI workforce revolution

29 May 2024

Tarantula-pranking train driver reinstated and awarded £40k

28 Feb 2024

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+