The PM says Commerce Minister Andrew Bayly “understands he got it totally, utterly completely wrong” over an interaction where he allegedly called a worker a “loser” and told them to “take some wine and f*** off”.
Bayly apologised publicly over his conduct on Friday. The senior minister said he thought he was having a “light-hearted exchange” during the business visit in early October.
Speaking to media today, Christopher Luxon said the incident “caused insult” and that Bayly’s behaviour “didn’t meet the standards” he set for ministers.
The Prime Minister said he told Bayly on Friday, “you’ve clearly got this horribly wrong”.
Commerce Minister Andrew Bayly has apologised for what he said was supposed to be a light-hearted interaction. (Source: 1News)
Luxon said: “In my conversation with him, he understood he had got it totally, utterly, completely wrong.
“What he had intended to be some light-hearted banter, clearly was not the case. He got that totally wrong, and he has apologised to me and to the complainant quite rightly, and more fulsomely about that.”
The complainant said they felt “degraded, embarrassed, and deeply disrespected” by Bayly’s actions, according to their written complaint.
The Minister for Commerce said he did not believe he told the worker to “f*** off”. (Source: 1News)
The worker alleged the Small Business Minister told him to “take some wine and f*** off”, called him a loser and formed the shape of an “L” on his forehead with his fingers.
Speaking on Friday, Bayly said he didn’t believe he told the worker to “f*** off”, but refused to go into detail about what he said during the incident.
“I don’t believe I did [tell the worker to f*** off] but the bigger issue is I put him in a situation where he was offended and that’s why I’ve unreservedly apologised to him,” he told 1News.
Asked if he’d called the worker a “loser”, Bayly said: “There are issues with, obviously, people have different perceptions about what went on but I don’t want to get into who said what”.
Luxon told media today he believed his minister had “genuinely” and “authentically” apologised and that Bayly had “apologised as fulsomely as he possibly can”.
Responding to questions, the PM added that he was only informed about the incident last week, despite Bayly first raising an apology with the business on October 11.
“He thought the issue was resolved, and clearly it wasn’t, when the letter came in on Thursday, which was when we found out about it.”
The worker raised the issue again in a longer complaint sent last Thursday.
Worker said they felt ‘angered and powerless’
In his complaint, the worker said he felt “angered and powerless” and like they were “the object of ridicule in front of my peers” over Bayly’s interaction with them.
“When Andrew Bayly was introduced to me, one of the first things he asked was why I was still at work. His tone was dismissive, and he proceeded to say, ‘Take a bottle of wine and go home, go on, go home… take some wine and f*** off.’
“His behaviour and the way he spoke to me suggested that he had been drinking prior to arriving, which made the situation even more uncomfortable.”
Bayly said he was not intoxicated when they met.
“As he stepped closer, invading my personal space until we were shoulder to shoulder, Andrew again questioned why I was still working, noting that no one else was on the warehouse floor,” the complainant said.
“What followed next was both shocking and humiliating. He called me a ‘loser’ repeatedly, saying the reason I was still at work was because I am a ‘loser’.
“He turned to the group of people with him at the time, including my boss, the Minister’s assistant, marketing staff, and employees, and formed an ‘L’ with his fingers on his forehead.
“He then continued to call me a ‘loser’, over and over, clearly trying to amuse the group at my expense.”