Woolworths manager fired over romantic pursuit of colleague 30 years younger

A long-serving Woolworths manager has lost his unfair dismissal battle after being accused of pursuing a “romantic relationship” with a colleague more than three decades younger than him.

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that a Woolworths department manager was fairly dismissed, finding he engaged in a sustained pattern of unwanted messages to a much younger colleague – behaviour that showed a “clear romantic interest”.

Alexander Pushik, who worked as the fruit and vegetable manager at the time, was fired by Woolworths in early May for sexual harassment after a 29-year-old colleague reported receiving a year-long stream of inappropriate Facebook messages from him.

These messages that the 63-year-old sent to his female colleague, 34 years younger than him, included “an emoji of two people kissing”, “I love you”, and the following day asking, “Do you love me?”

Beyond private messages, Pushik also posted public comments on her Facebook page, including a GIF of a heart with the words “Be my Valentine” and messages reading, “Always love you.”

None of these messages was ever responded to.

The female colleague eventually complained to the store manager, saying Pushik’s behaviour made her “feel uncomfortable”, which prompted an internal investigation.

Pushik argued that none of his messages were inappropriate, claiming, “If I had posted it publicly, people may have misinterpreted my comment”, and adding, “People don’t know that we are just friends, and may think it was meant as something more. It was just friendly.”

He also argued that he sent similar messages to friends, insisted there was no “sexual content”, and claimed he viewed the female colleague “like a granddaughter.”

Following his dismissal, Woolworths uncovered further evidence showing that Pushik’s inappropriate behaviour extended beyond digital messages, which the commission stated demonstrated a “pattern of unwanted conduct” that was carried out “with the intent of entering into a romantic relationship” with the younger colleague.

At the store’s 2024 Christmas party, the female colleague reported that Pushik “stared at her” throughout the event before rushing over to “kiss her on the cheek” while telling her, “You look so beautiful today.”

Regarding the incident, Pushik argued that “the ladies try to come wearing their best” and claimed that, with this colleague, he merely gave “an imitation kiss on her cheek”.

These in-person incidents continued after the Christmas party, with the female colleague alleging that Pushik would repeatedly tell her at the Woolworths store that she was “so pretty”, “beautiful”, and “always looking so pretty in photos”.

On another occasion, after she asked him for help, he responded with, “I would do anything for you,” a remark that other team members overheard and later questioned her about, saying he seemed “obsessed”.

While under cross-examination, the commission noted that Pushik admitted “he would have liked to take [younger colleague’s name] out for dinner or a show”, but claimed she didn’t respond in a way that showed she wanted to “have something deeper”.

“The matter came out of the blue and was in my opinion artificially created. I was not even told the subject when invited to the interview in Wentworthville store,” Pushik wrote in his dismissal application.

“To me bias is obvious. If all of my love messages and emojis were taken into account I could be accused of sexual harassment not only of my friends and family members, but of their dogs, cats, ferrets and other pets.”

He also claimed he felt “betrayed, backstabbed, and disrespected” by the female colleague’s decision not to confront him about his behaviour directly.

The younger female colleague described how Pushik’s conduct affected her mental and physical wellbeing, noting that, as an international student on a visa, she felt particularly vulnerable and feared the potential consequences of lodging a complaint.

“I was deeply worried about becoming involved in any legal processes, given the challenges of balancing my studies, maintaining my academic performance, and managing the emotional stress of the situation,” she said.

“It became increasingly difficult for me to attend work and see him during my shifts. The situation caused me significant anxiety, and I often felt reluctant to come in to work.”

While Fair Work Commission deputy president Alex Grayson acknowledged that Pushik was not formally notified of the reason for his dismissal or given an opportunity to respond, the commission ultimately ruled that Woolworths’ decision to terminate him was justified.