Union hits out at Wyndham City Council over 'gun for hire' private investigator A VICTORIAN local council has been accused of hiring a private investigator to trap staff into breaking rules so they could be sacked. The P.I, who stood at about 200cm, is alleged to have bought alcohol for staff and then taken photos of them drinking, encouraged them to throw personal rubbish with council waste, used standover tactics and told Wyndham City Council workers he had links with outlaw bikie gangs. The Australian Services Union said the five sacked men would take the council to the Fair Work Commission for unfair dismissal. But Wyndham City Council chief executive officer Kerry Thompson hit back at the allegations and denied anything untoward. "Suggestions of coercion from the investigator are not only scurrilous, but demonstrate a complete lack of accountability from those involved," she said. Due to the seriousness of the misconduct, I am unable to detail the matters specifically as I would not wish to further damage the reputations of the staff involved. The misconduct was varied amongst the staff, with the most serious potentially resulting in criminal charges. This is therefore a matter for the police and I am not in a position to comment. ASU boss Brian Parkinson met the council today to fight for the workers' jobs be returned. "He was a gun for hire - a mercenary," he said. The way they went about this is disgusting. If the council think this whole process is over, it's far from over. I am going after senior management - someone must be held accountable over this. Ms Thompson said of the investigator was hired after complaints about the council's parks service. "The investigation uncovered a range of activities considered to be serious misconduct," she said.