Former chief executive John Ajaka denies he fuelled protests sparked by job loss rumours

Ousted Liverpool Council chief executive John Ajaka has denied he failed to correct false rumours the organisation planned to sack 150 workers, which sparked fiery protests led by union members, because he was worried his own job was at risk due to escalating tensions with Mayor Ned Mannoun.

Union members chanted “Put some pork on your fork” and held up a toy pig at the protest directed at Mannoun, who is Muslim, before police were called to a chaotic council meeting on April 24 last year, when Ajaka was stood down pending an independent investigation into his behaviour at a meeting.

Ajaka on Wednesday faced cross-examination in a public inquiry into alleged dysfunction and maladministration at the council in south-west Sydney. The inquiry has previously heard Ajaka was hired in late 2022, and his working relationship with Mannoun had deteriorated by the time Ajaka told the mayor to “shut the f— up” in a meeting about staff employment on April 16 last year.

Ajaka, a former Liberal MP, this week told the inquiry he became aware an email about the false rumour was circulating, and had met a senior union delegate, the day before United Services Union advocate Steve Donley told 2GB Radio host Ray Hadley that 150 jobs at the council were “on the line”, and workers and union members were to protest outside a council meeting the next day.

The inquiry heard Donley had told Hadley on air: “The CEO, John Ajaka, has been told that there will be a council meeting tomorrow at [2pm]. They’ll go into a closed session and the so-called mayor, Ned Mannoun, will sack him.”

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Hadley said that “according to Steve Donley, the mayor is doing his best to remove John Ajaka”, before he declared a conflict of interest and said he had known Ajaka and his family for a long time.

Ajaka said multiple people had called him about what was said in the interview, which he did not hear, and that although he knew Hadley, he would not describe him as a friend.

Ajaka said he knew there would be a demonstration, but he did not expect it would be volatile.