Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Auckland
Reference No AA 102/05
Hearing date 24 Feb 2005
Determination date 29 March 2005
Member V Campbell
Representation R Sharma ; D McGill
Location Auckland
Parties George v Datacom Engineering Services Ltd
Summary UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL - Serious misconduct - Complaints from customer - Returned monitor to customer and switched monitor employee was using with monitor which had been repaired - First complaint about interruption of employee's work - After applicant left site employee found computer still made high pitched noise supposed to have been repaired - Applicant told employee job was no longer open so needed to be reopened - Alleged that applicant spent 30 minutes telling off employee of customer - Respondent's enquiry less than adequate - Details of complaints not provided to applicant prior to disciplinary meeting - Respondent accepted customer's account of events without enquiry made of initiator of complaint - Respondent did not have reasonable grounds to believe misconduct sufficient to justify dismissal - Dismissal unjustified - Lost remuneration not result of dismissal but rather decision to undertake study - Contributory conduct 10 percent - Claim for compensation for loss of benefits declined - Computer engineer
Result Application granted ; Compensation for humiliation etc ($7,500 reduced to $6,750) ; Costs reserved
Statutes ERA s124
Cases Cited Irvines Freightlines Ltd v Cross [1993] 1 ERNZ 424;NZ (with exceptions) Food Processing etc IUOW v Unilever NZ Ltd [1990] 1 NZILR 35
Number of Pages 7
PDF File Link: aa 102_05.pdf [pdf 30 KB]