Content warning: This article contains references to self-harm and suicide
Inside an organisation that prides itself on defending human rights and dignity, three former Amnesty International Australia staff have come forward with allegations of “systemic” workplace bullying and harassment which led to two staff members being admitted to hospital.
They say the situation inside the organisation is “dire” and extremely similar to problems highlighted in a recent independent report into staff wellbeing at Amnesty’s International Secretariat based in London.
Former Amnesty Australia staff who spoke to SBS News on the condition of anonymity said bullying in their offices was “rife” and could lead to similar consequences.
“The impact of stress right now is extremely serious and has the real potential of leading to suicide and self-harm attempts,” one said.
The independent report, compiled by The Konterra Group and published in January this year, was commissioned following the suicides of an Amnesty International staff member in France and another paid intern in the United Kingdom.
According to the Konterra report the staff member in France, who died by suicide at the Amnesty office, left a note indicating “work pressures played a major part in his decision to end his life”. There was “no evidence” of a workplace connection to the case of the intern in the United Kingdom, the report found.
Amnesty International Australia has offices in every Australian capital city other than Darwin and employs roughly 70 staff members nationally.
Activists Call For Stop To Bali Nine Duo Executions Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
The former staffers say the “disturbing” culture of bullying, overwork and a lack of psychological and mental health support for staff is widespread throughout the organisation.
“The culture burns people, and people were burning,” one former staff member said.
The culture burns people, and people were burning.
A 2017 internal 'Diversity and Inclusion Survey’ of all its staff, and obtained by SBS News, found 17 per cent of staff had experienced discrimination at the organisation in the previous 12 months. Twelve per cent had experienced harassment and 15 per cent had witnessed harassment.
“There is such a culture of fear and retribution at Amnesty that people are too scared to come forward with the stories behind those statistics,” a former staff member said.
'Afraid to come to work'
Last week Amnesty International announced five of its seven-member senior management team would be leaving the organisation after the report found a “toxic” workplace culture.
But the report into the international branch didn’t study conditions inside the Australian branch of the organisation, which former staff say are “deeply disturbing”.
“People were afraid to come to work, some people couldn’t get out of bed each day, many people were experiencing depression and anxiety, people would be crying at work regularly and two were hospitalised,” a former staff member said.
“It felt like a warzone in a lot of ways and nothing felt safe,” they added.
It felt like a warzone and nothing felt safe.
The claims by former staff members pre-date the Konterra report and go back several years.
In a letter claiming to be supported by more than 50 current and former staff members of Amnesty Australia in February this year, and obtained by SBS News, staff begged Amnesty International’s Secretary General Kumi Naidoo to initiate a similar independent review in Australia.
“Amnesty International Australia staff have witnessed or been subjected to discrimination, excessive workloads, bullying, lack of cultural safety and retribution for speaking out on behalf of staff,” the letter read.
“Some have been hospitalised in part due to the chronic stress they suffer at work.”
Former staff say the calls for an independent review in Australia fell on deaf ears and Amnesty Australia management dismissed the international Konterra report’s findings as not relevant to their branch.
The Australian Services Union, which represents Amnesty staff, has also raised concerns about the alleged targeting of union delegates for adverse action such as redundancies.
A recent round of redundancies at Amnesty Australia also saw over 30 staff members lose their jobs.
In a letter to Amnesty International Australia’s President and Board Director Gabe Kavanagh in March, the ASU Assistant National Secretary Linda White called on the Amnesty board to “acknowledge the issues with workplace culture, staff morale and bullying” and to initiate an independent review.
Staff in Australia wrote to Amnesty International’s Secretary General Kumi Naidoo asking for an independent review. Source: Getty Images North America
But in a statement provided to SBS News on Wednesday, Ms White said the union was working with new leadership following a recent restructure at Amnesty and the new leaders had "recognised problems in the past and demonstrated genuine commitment to a positive workplace culture,".
'Comprehensive review'
In response to questions sent by SBS News, Amnesty International Australia's National Director Claire Mallinson said the organisation had undergone a "comprehensive review" of operations last year.
“We recognise that this has been a very difficult time for our employees and we understand that some people were disappointed with the outcome of the review," she said.
Ms Mallinson said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the circumstances relating to individual employees.
“We take all concerns raised seriously and have long-standing grievance procedures. In addition, a process was established by the Amnesty International Australia Board to address any issues arising from the review," she said.
"We continue to consult with staff and work through issues with their union representatives as they arise," she added.
Former staff members said the recent round of redundancies and the restructure didn’t fill them with any confidence anything would change inside the organisation.
“There won't be any change unless there is an examination of what happened through an independent investigation, so senior management is forced to recognise the issues exist and deal with them,” a former staff member said.
"They cannot continue to sweep it under the rug."
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact on 13 11 14 or a local , on 1300 659 467 and on 1800 55 1800 (up to age 25). There are resources for young people at . Indigenous Australian psychologist services can be found . More information about mental health is available at .
