A Yarra Trams authorised officer has sought to put Melbourne's tram operator on trial for false imprisonment, in fallout from a sustained workplace interrogation by two managers who wanted to know who had pinned a poster of Napoleon Bonaparte to a staff room wall.

Ticket inspector Tahsin Halici​ alleges that he was unlawfully detained inside the East Preston tram depot for more than an hour, during which time he and 10 of his colleagues were prevented from drinking water, going to the toilet, speaking with each other, using their mobile phones or seeking union assistance, under threat of instant dismissal.

The snap interrogation of Mr Halici and other Yarra Trams officers almost three years ago was sparked by a poster of the 19th century painting, Napoleon Crossing the Alps, which had been pinned on the staff room wall in defiance of a management directive.

Details of the tense standoff were heard in the Federal Circuit Court in Melbourne on Tuesday, as Mr Halici, who still works for Yarra Trams, sought to bring the matter to trial. Yarra Trams argued the allegation of false imprisonment was "untenable" and should be thrown out of court.