Barclay failed to get job back
Former KiwiBuild chief executive Stephen Barclay attempted to get his job back in December but failed to do so, Stuff can now reveal.
Barclay, who eventually resigned from the position, was forced to work from home by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in October following allegations of ‘‘serious misconduct’’ backed by affidavits from employees, documents revdheal.
After the news emerged, Barclay sought interim reinstatement at the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), arguing that staying away from work would damage his public reputation.
The ERA rejected this, saying his reinstatement would be decided at a later date when the case could fully be examined.
This decision was published online but the names and identifying details were prohibited from publication.
Following a joint application from Stuff, TVNZ and Radio New Zealand, the non-publication order was lifted on Wednesday.
Reinstatement by the ERA is unlikely given Barclay abruptly resigned in January.
He has denied any wrongdoing, simply saying he has a ‘‘direct’’ management style.
Details in the ERA’s December decision paint a much more detailed picture of the allegations than the vague press release from HUD. Four sworn affidavits from senior managers were provided detailing their concerns.
Three people directly under Barclay along with a contractor and another government senior manager complained.
The complaints concerned undermining of staff, abrupt termination of a contractor relationship, and threatened retaliatory actions. Barclay rejected these allegations, which he described as ‘‘style’’ and ‘‘tone’’ issues.
ERA member Rachel Larimer noted that while these complaints were ‘‘untested’’ they amounted to an allegation of ‘‘serious misconduct’’ and were important enough to deny Barclay’s attempt at interim reinstatement.
‘‘While this evidence is as yet untested and will likely be strongly challenged by the applicant, this overall factual matrix cannot be simply discounted by the authority,’’ Larimer wrote.
Barclay argued that being forced to work from home and this becoming evident in the media could ‘‘ruin his career’’.
His unexplained suspension and subsequent resignation has caused significant political strife for Housing Minister Phil Twyford.
The KiwiBuild programme itself has struggled, with Twyford admitting only 300 homes are likely to be completed by early July, when the Government had promised 1000.
While he has not directly blamed Barclay for the failure to reach the target, Twyford has said it ‘‘certainly didn’t help’’.
Barclay, for his part, has said KiwiBuild was on track to meet 1000 houses when he was suspended.