‘I was potentially going to destroy someone’s character’

FORMER Vodafone employee John Bagge blew the whistle on a major fraud being perpetrated upon his employer.

The problem was, the alleged perpetrator was not his direct superior, but someone even higher in the company pecking order.

The notion of reporting the crime was daunting.

“I spent weeks and weeks turning things over in my head,” said Mr Bagge.

“You lie in bed at four in the morning wondering if you’re doing the right thing.

“You do that for weeks. I was potentially going to destroy someone’s character and, if I was wrong, I’d be destroying my character too. I had to be 100% certain.”

Eventually, he felt confident that he had enough information to bring to his employer and they were able to deal with the case.

However, Mr Bagge was not happy with the way Vodafone treated him in the aftermath of the episode.

As a result of that treatment, he was forced to go on sick leave.

With the support of IMPACT trade union, he later took a case to the Rights Commissioner.

The commissioner, and subsequently the Labour Court, found in his favour, eventually recommending he be awarded compensation of €12,000.

In its judgment, the court found that: “At the material time there were no supports or guidelines available to the claimant [Mr Bagge] to assist him in dealing with the situation in which he was placed.

“Whilst the claimant acted responsibly and reported his suspicions, the absence of appropriate supports and procedures caused him to suffer significant anxiety and distress resulting in him requiring a prolonged period of sick leave.”

The court said that appropriate supports and procedures had been put in place subsequently.