MP says she signed NDA after being bullied at work
A SENIOR SNP MP has revealed she once signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) after being bullied at work.
Hannah Bardell, the party’s culture spokeswoman, said she was put in a “very difficult position” by an employer shortly before she entered politics.
It comes amid ongoing controversy over the use of NDAS, which some claim are being used by the wealthy to cover up allegations of bullying or harassment.
Ms Bardell, who worked in the oil and gas industry before becoming an MP, spoke out after being asked about the issue on the BBC’S Question Time.
She said: “It’s something I’ve never spoken about, but given I’ve got a voice I feel I should use it.
“I know a lot of other people who were treated inappropriately.
“I can’t go too much into it, but I was being bullied and I was put in a very difficult position where I thought I was going to be pushed out of the door and be unemployed.
“It was a choice between taking a case to court or having to leave without a job. It was not long before I stood for election.
“I know lots of people who have been bullied, I know legal firms in the City who use these and they abuse them.”
Her comments came after Sir Philip Green was named as the businessman at the centre of allegations of harassment and racism in The Daily Telegraph.
The retail tycoon allegedly used NDAS to prevent former staff from speaking about their experiences.
A court injunction had initially stopped the newspaper from naming Sir Philip, but Lord Hain used parliamentary privilege to identify him in the Lords.
The Labour peer requested to make the “personal statement” saying it was his duty to out Mr Green, chairman of the Arcadia retail empire that includes Topshop, as the mystery figure who tried to gag the media over reporting of accusations from former employees.
Sir Philip, who denies the allegations, said: “I am not commenting on anything that has happened in court or was said in Parliament today.
“To the extent that it is suggested that I have been guilty of unlawful sexual or racist behaviour, I categorically and wholly deny these allegations.”