Claims He Was Forced To Discriminate Against Workers

A former employee of Italy's state-owned airline, Alitalia, is suing the carrier for discriminatory practices.

Francesco Gallo, the airline's former managing director of the North American division, filed a lawsuit recently requesting unspecified damages claiming he was forced to take discriminatory action against older workers, gays and lesbians during his employment with the company, according to the United Press International.

The June 20 lawsuit was filed in New York and states Gallo was prohibited from hiring certain types of people.

"All new employees must be young, no more than 30 years old, no gays, no lesbians and no blacks," Gallo says he was told.

When he protested this directive, Gallo said it was then assumed he was a homosexual prompting a supervisor, Giulio Libutti, to begin harassing the married father of four, the New York Post reported. Libutti was eventually transferred to Rome.

"To me, this man was very, very sick," said Gallo of the supervisor.

Gallo also claims the carrier, run by the Italian government, retaliated by filing sexual harassment charges against him.

Derek Smith, Gallo's attorney, contends the allegations were "all part of a conspiracy to set up" his client.

FMI: www.alitalia.com