‘What you do in your own time is nothing to do with me’
Charity worker tells a tribunal how boss reacted to suicide bid
A WORKER at a bereavement charity tried to kill herself after being bullied by her boss, a tribunal has heard.
Ann Marie Cocozza, a former project coordinator at Petal (People Experiencing Trauma and Loss) is suing the charity for unfair dismissal.
She believes she was sacked after airing grievances about Joe Duffy, who acted as project director at the time.
At an employment tribunal Miss Cocozza claimed Mr Duffy – who established the charity – bullied and intimidated her, calling her a liar and a fantasist.
The charity worker claimed that things had got so bad she took an overdose of sleeping pills.
When she later confronted Mr Duffy about his behaviour and told him she had attempted suicide, she claims he said: ‘What you do in your own time is nothing to do with me.’
Miss Cocozza began working for the charity in October 2012 following the murder of her nephew in 2004.
She said Mr Duffy had suggested she could take over his role as director on his retirement.
But things eventually turned sour, and Miss Cocozza claimed this was due to a ‘ rift’ that developed between the two families who set up the charity.
She said: ‘There was a fallingout and it was very difficult. A colleague and I were caught in the crossfire. ‘It was a toxic situation.’ Miss Cocozza said she heard stories of Mr Duffy acting similarly with other members of staff.
She added: ‘Everyone was aware of Joe’s behaviour. He had branded me as a fantasist and a liar.
‘I offered to take a polygraph test to prove Joe was lying.’
Miss Cocozza decided to raise a grievance against Mr Duffy but it was rejected.
When she was due to return to work following this, she received a text message telling her that there had been a problem with the door locks.
When she asked who had sent it, she claims the sender did not disclose their name.
She said: ‘It was a clear indicator t o me nothing would have changed.
‘I would be on my own and that was a laying down for me of how it was going to be.’
Miss Cocozza then phoned in sick, took two or three sleeping pills and went to bed.
She then woke up with ‘ such a fantastic feeling of peace’ and went down to her kitchen, taking all the other pills there, writing a note explaining she ‘could not go on’.
Miss Cocozza was taken to hospital where she stayed for three days.
She returned to work in September 2013 with little contact with Mr Duffy until December, when she fell and broke her ankle at work.
While she was off sick, she was told Mr Duffy had raised a grievance against her but it was not upheld by Petal.
During a mediation session to try to resolve any issues, Miss Cocozza claims she said to Mr Duffy: ‘You gave me such a hard time I ended up taking an overdose.’
He then allegedly responded: ‘What you do in your own time is nothing to do with me.’
Lawyer Martyn West, representing Petal, suggested Miss Cocozza had no intention of letting things be resolved.
He said this was because she decided to take things further with the help of a colleague who had also aired grievances about Mr Duffy.
She replied: ‘ The purpose behind it was justice for me, and to protect people from Mr Duffy’s wrath.
‘We joined together to search for justice to make Joe Duffy accountable for what he had done to me and to her. I just said I would clear my name.
‘When we were in the process of the first grievance I believe Joe was a man under stress.
‘He had more or less everyone in the office against me saying I had done this, I had done that.’
After trying to return to work in March last year, Miss Cocozza received an email saying her position was no longer available following a restructuring.
At the time Mr Duffy was suspended following other allegations of misconduct and later left the organisation.
The tr i bunal, in Glasgow, continues.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 08457 909090, visit a local Samaritans branch or go to www.samaritans.org.
‘Branded me a fantasist and liar’