An award-winning Coles store manager claims he was sacked after he blew the whistle on a transgender worker stripping off in the staff tearoom and is now struggling to provide for his family of four.
Karan Sharma, 33, was appointed caretaker manager of Perth’s Caversham Coles store last year after six years in the supermarket giant’s Albany stores.
But soon after arriving, the father-of-two said he saw the transgender worker taking off his clothes during a staff birthday celebration – exposing his scarred torso and stripping off his pants to his underwear – and complained to the state manager.
Mr Sharma was sacked from his $168,000-a-year job weeks later after staff members made a series of allegations against him, including that he made transphobic, homophobic and racist remarks.
The Fair Work Commission heard Mr Sharma reacted aggressively when confronted about the allegations and decided his evidence was not ‘credible’ when it rejected his bid to overturn the sacking this week.
However, Mr Sharma insists he is innocent and claims the row exploded after he tried to take action over the transgender employee stripping off in the workplace .
‘Someone can be half-naked in the tea room and I did something about it – but I’m told I’m discriminating against trans, gays and lesbians,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t know why this has happened.’
An award-winning Coles store manager says he was fired after he blew the whistle on a transgender worker stripping off in the staff tearoom (pictured)
Mr Sharma is now working as a real estate agent on commission and struggling to make ends meet.
‘I was number one in the state. It was my passion. I started in retail when I was 17 and it’s what I breathe. It’s not just heartbreaking – it’s broken everything,’ he said.
Video of the incident obtained by Daily Mail Australia reveals the staff member – who has appeared in Coles promotional photographs – ripping off his work top to reveal where his breasts were surgically removed.
With birthday bunting and cakes on the tea room table, the worker then drops his trousers to reveal silky animal print boxer shorts.
Karan Sharma (third from right) is now working as a real estate agent on commission
‘I was store manager and just got there but I had complaints about the transgender worker,’ Mr Sharma said.
‘There was a video and when I saw the footage, I almost fell off my chair. I sent it to the bosses but the lawyers said they can change clothes in the team room.
‘I was like, oh, so we don’t need toilets now?
‘I sent (the video) to the state manager and said: “I need serious help here. This is what’s going on in my store.” We were on the phone for 43 minutes discussing it.’
The transgender worker was immediately transferred to another store, Mr Sharma said. He claims he was then the subject of complaints from staff members.
Several staff members testified against Karan Sharma (left) at the Fair Work Commission
Supermarket bosses initially received an anonymous complaint about Mr Sharma last August, six months after he started at the store in Perth’s east.
That was then followed up by another four written complaints from staff members between August 19 and September 1, the Fair Work Commission was told.
The allegations included that Mr Sharma made ‘disparaging remarks regarding materials displayed in the store to celebrate NAIDOC week and separately to support members of the LGBTQI community’.
Staff also claimed he had them clock him out of work hours after he had left the store, forced them to take leave and changed shifts to suit his family routine.
Karan Sharma outside a Coles store helping to raise money to fight motor neurone disease
He was also alleged to have made racist, homophobic and transphobic comments to staff after details of the complaints were revealed, the Fair Work Commission heard.
But Mr Sharma says his leaving party was attended by 45 other workers who backed him, and submitted 13 letters of support from former co-workers to the Commission.
The Fair Work Commission heard from eight Coles workers, including seven women, but the transgender worker did not testify.
Mr Sharma claims his state manager promised his job was safe after he was initially suspended – but says he was sacked two weeks later while that boss was on holiday.
The Fair Work Commission heard from eight Coles workers at Mr Sharma’s (red shirt, centre) appeal against his dismissal, but the transgender worker did not testify
‘I’ve got awards, presentations, I had a successful career,’ he said.
‘I’ve got so many awards, it’s not funny. I didn’t think it was fair.’
In rejecting Mr Sharma’s appeal, The Fair Work Commission said: ‘As the manager of the store he was responsible for ensuring that his subordinates behaved in a way that was consistent with the same Coles policies which he had seriously breached in many ways on numerous occasions.
‘His flagrant disregard for these policies in his interactions with his subordinates demonstrates he was not fit to be their manager.’
But the Commission noted: ‘In terms of the performance of the store, other than for the conduct above, the applicant had generally been a good manager.’
Coles declined to comment about the case.
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