Transport company boss' expletive laden lecture to Filipino drivers caught on tape

Wednesday, 12 June 2019

A second secret recording of Northland transport company boss Stan Semenoff reveals him describing Filipino drivers as 'bloody mongrels' for quitting at short notice.

During the 20 minute audio recording of a January health and safety briefing supplied to Stuff Semenoff threatened to send Filipino migrant drivers home if they tried to find new jobs, were caught speeding, or did not speak English.

He also said he would deduct $5000 from their wages to cover recruitment costs and an airfare back to the Philippines.

Last month a High Court judge released a secret video recording apparently showing Semenoff ordering a worker to manipulate his log book, or lose his job. It was presented as evidence by the NZ Transport Agency which is attempting to revoke Stan Semenoff Logging Ltd's operator licence for breaching safety regulations.

Filipino drivers working for Stan Semenoff Logging were repeatedly threatened with being sent home if they did not do as they were told.

Semenoff said he was simply telling the driver to take breaks at his origin or destination, something he believed was industry practice, and at more than 70-years-old, at the end of a busy week, he was prone to saying things which he would later regret.

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When approached for comment Semenoff was unaware he had been recorded at the January health and safety briefing, but confirmed the substance of the meeting which he led.

The recording opens with Semenoff telling drivers they should be 'really sick' before they take time off, and must speak English on the job.

'If you don't listen, don't blame me if I say on Monday, here's your ticket to go back to the Philippines tomorrow.'

He praised good Filipino workers, which he said were in the majority. 'I love them to death, the good ones, they're such good workers, they're so polite, they look after your trucks. '

During a hearing on NZTA's application to revoke Stan Semenoff Logging's operating licence, a secretly recorded conversation between Semenoff and a former employee was played in the High Court in Auckland.

But he described others as 'arseholes' and 'bloody lazy.'

Semenoff referred to four migrant drivers who had sneaked off behind his back to find new jobs only six months into one year contracts as 'bloody mongrels,' and promised to be 'very, very hard' on the next one that did it.

'I'll tell you what, you will go back to the Philippines the next day … and I will be taking $5000 out of your wages for the cost of what I brought you in on,' Semenoff said.

'I didn't bring you in to work for anyone else, you should be grateful I brought you in.'

Semenoff told the meeting it took two months to replace migrant workers and lack of drivers the previous week had cost him $48,000 as trucks sat idle.

Speeding was also discussed, with reference to 746 pages of GPS data which showed much of the speeding occurred in build up areas, and drivers were told fully loaded logging trucks should not go above 85kmh.

'If it comes up on the GPS and we show you, you will get an aeroplane ticket home, no second chance,' Semenoff said.

When asked about the secretly recorded briefing, Semenoff said his insistence that Filipinos speak English on the job was to ensure they could communicate with Kiwi co-workers to prevent accidents.

Some Kiwis were also anti-immigrants and having both groups speaking English helped them to 'gel.'

Semenoff said that if migrant workers wanted to move on, they would help them do that, but wanted sufficient notice to organise a replacement.

He also confirmed that the company had not docked workers pay to recoup the $5000 to $6000 it cost to bring them here.

'We've never ever taken money off anyone that's left, but we just say to them, if you are going to do it, we will need to take the money off you, but we've never done it.'

A Filipino driver fired late last year for speeding and dangerous driving complained to the Labour Inspectorate that the company had deducted an airfare and six days wages from his final pay without his consent.

Logging company boss Stan Semenoff says his insistence Filipino workers speak English is to prevent accidents.

Semenoff claimed the worker had verbally agreed to the deductions. 'The problem was the HR didn't get him to sign the paperwork to say we could [do that].'

He quit the company last month after his one year contract ended to work for another transport operator and he described working for Semenoff being 'like slavery.'

The man refused to be named out of fear it would jeopardise future employment.

Whangarei-based Stan Semenoff Logging is a major carrier of the region's timber.

The driver said although he was grateful to Semenoff for bringing him to New Zealand, 'I'm not so good with the way he treated me.'

Semenoff, the former mayor of Whangarei and a well known Northland business figure, declined to respond to the worker's claims without being able to sit down with him to discuss them.

'I can bring you many people, Filipinos who will tell you that's not true.'

He said he treated his workers well, providing them with accommodation and social events such as an annual Christmas party.

Semenoff also pointed out that the video recording screened in court was three or four years old and the driver in question was employed by another branch of the Semenoff group, and not Stan Semenoff Logging, which was the subject of the NZTA action.