Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Christchurch
Reference No CA 91/03
Hearing date 4 Jul 2003
Determination date 25 August 2003
Member H Doyle
Representation R Simes ; HC Matthews
Location Christchurch
Parties Barker v Stonewin Holdings Ltd t/a Oxford Restaurant and Bar
Summary UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL - Serious misconduct - Theft - Poured wrong drink for customer by mistake - Poured new drink for customer and gave wrong drink to off-duty staff member at bar - Spot check by manager who happened to be at bar - Summarily dismissed for theft - No opportunity to explain - Not informed of allegations in advance - No representative - Overheard manager tell other staff member that she had been fired - Dismissal procedurally unfair and substantively unjustified - No reasonable and honest belief that applicant dishonest - Not open to reasonable employer to see dismissal as appropriate response - Contributory conduct 25 percent - Bar worker
Result Application granted ; Reimbursement of lost wages ($2,860.83 reduced to $2,145.63) ; Compensation for humiliation etc ($9,000 reduced to $6,750) ; Costs reserved
Cases Cited Honda NZ Ltd v NZ (with exceptions) Shipwrights etc Union [1990] 3 NZILR 23;Northern Distribution Union v BP Oil NZ Ltd [1992] 3 ERNZ 483;NZ (with exceptions) Food Processing etc IUOW v Unilever NZ Ltd [1990] 1 NZILR 35
Number of Pages 8
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