Staffer speaks out over ‘controlling’ MP
Allegations Dr Gaurav Sharma reduced worker to tears
"I was thinking of ways that I could kill myself. I didn’t want to go back to work."
Staffer to Dr Gaurav Sharma
Aformer staffer to Labour MP Dr Gaurav Sharma has spoken out about an alleged culture of bullying that existed in his office, which they claim was so bad it forced them into counselling.
The staffer, who did not want to be named, described the Hamilton West MP as “controlling” and believed Sharma tried to isolate his staff from other Labour parliamentary staff in Hamilton.
Sharma did not address the specific allegations made by the staffer.
However, he said he had refused to extend the contract of one of his former staffers because he was unhappy with their work.
He said his team manager had forwarded complaints to Parliamentary Service about that staffer, but they were never investigated “despite repeated requests”.
He said he had repeated that request as recently as yesterday “where Parliamentary Service refused to look into these matters and just wanted to move on”.
The staffer said they felt compelled to speak out after reading a column by Sharma in which he alleged he himself had been the victim of bullying.
After the column was published, Labour’s whip Duncan Webb and Parliamentary Service said they had been working with Sharma on “employment matters”.
Webb said yesterday the Labour whip’s office “became aware of issues between Gaurav and some of his staff a year ago”.
He said hiring new staff into Sharma’s office had been “paused . . . with the intention of providing further assistance before more staff were hired into his office”.
Webb said the whips continued to engage with Sharma including as recently as Thursday, the day he went public with the claims.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday said Sharma was still “valued” in Labour.
“While we dispute the allegations he has made, Gaurav is a valued member of the team, and we want to make sure he is getting the support he needs.” She did not address the specific allegations.
The staffer alleged that by the time they arrived in Sharma’s office, he had already had bad relationships with staff.
They said they tried to quit almost immediately, but he talked them into staying.
The staffer said they were reduced to tears within weeks of beginning work, and eventually Parliamentary Service was able to secure counselling for them after they began to feel depressed and considered self-harm.
The staffer said they were tasked with getting the appropriate sizes for ads to run in a community newsletter.
Instead of consulting the inhouse guide on advertising, they called the newsletter staff directly.
Sharma, who was meant to be in virtual Parliament, allegedly “went off” at the staff member, telling them they should not be speaking directly to “stakeholders”.
“I’m just trying to give him the answer as quickly as possible,” the staffer said. “I felt like I was constantly watched and constantly tested,” they said.
The worker claimed Sharma would get on staffers’ backs about the state of their desks, whether windows had been closed, and one staffer leaving a desk fan on.
The staffer said they would turn the desk fan off for the other staff member to avoid Sharma growing frustrated.
They claimed Sharma would get disappointed when staff members put fridge magnets in the wrong box.
Eventually, the staffer was put in touch with Parliamentary Service.
Parliamentary Service has “relationship managers” — people who MPS staff can talk to about their employment without needing to speak to the MP themselves.
Sharma arranged for the staffer to meet with a manager to discuss the issues.
But the staffer claimed Sharma would not allow them to have private communication with their relationship manager.
The staffer said they just “let everything out” when speaking to their manager.
“I told her everything I had been experiencing in the office,” the staffer said, adding that Parliamentary Service and the Labour Party had handled the incident well. I had to go to counselling.
“I was thinking of ways that I could kill myself. I didn’t want to go back to work.