Mississauga admits staff abused co-workers

The City of Mississauga, Ont.,admits someemployeesin its transportation and works departmentacted inappropriately when they abused fellow workers, but thesupervisor who is alleged to have instigated the abuse still has his job.

Workers in the department allege they saw employees beaten, humiliated and physically punished in various ways for yearsand that the mistreatment was sanctioned and encouraged by the department supervisor, Domenic Galamini.

"There was inappropriate action or incidents that were going on, and due to that, we did take disciplinary action with the employees involved," acting city manager Martin Powell told CBC News. "We also followed up with additional training respect for workplace training in the affected areas."

In a cellphone recording made by one of the employees and obtained by CBC News, two men are shown lying face to face on a table with their hands, torsos and legs duct taped.

Employee Alex Juani, who has worked in the department for more than a decade, witnessed the men being duct taped.

"I can assure you when the tape was removed, especially from one of the guys he cried," said Juani.

Spankings left bruises

Juani'sallegations of abuse are supported by other employees who said they witnessed people being tied up with duct tape andone temporary worker being forced to have his head shaved.

They also say they witnessed spankings sometimes on birthdays, sometimes as punishment. The spankings, they say, were often so severe they left bruises or marks.

"It is a way of degrading you, putting fear in you," said Juani.

The workers claim Galamini instigated many of these incidents and allowed them to happen up to two or three times per week.

"Ihave seen people hit in the private parts," said Juani. "[Galamini would] laugh about it. He [would]laugh about it and encourage you to do it again. We have sent people black and blue home."

Juani said he and many of his co-workers didn't want to participate but went along for fear they could be next.

"You are ordered to stay there to participate if you will or to witness the humiliation of these people, to witness what may be happening to you tomorrow," said Juani.

Juani said he complainedto management many times.

The city ordered an independent investigation into the allegations that wrapped up two months ago.

It concluded Galamini allowed inappropriate behaviour to go on but that the allegations that Galamini intimidated and bullied his staff could not be substantiated.

Powell said he would not divulge what action the city took as a result of the findings.

"I am not at liberty to speak about it," he said."The city does have a policy that when incidents like this happens that we look [at] the seriousness of it, the history of the employee, then take appropriate disciplinary actions."

CBC News has confirmed that Galamini remains at his job. Juani is on stress leave.

Mississauga,witha population of nearly 700,000 people, is located west of Toronto.