Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Auckland
Reference No AA 308/05
Hearing date 26 Apr 2005 - 8 Jun 2005 (4 days)
Determination date 16 August 2005
Member J Scott
Representation G Stone ; M Broadbelt
Location Auckland
Parties Taogaga v The Onehunga Working Men's Club (a friendly society)
Summary UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL - Serious misconduct - Annual audit of accounts revealed club float was short - Further discrepancies revealed - Cheques unaccounted for - Applicant did not report numerous discrepancies to President - Overall respondent carried out thorough and fair investigation - Dismissal open to respondent - Dismissal justified - UNJUSTIFIED DISADVANTAGE - Suspension - No opportunity to comment - Should have attempted to contact applicant - However, applicant deliberately absented herself from the workplace on that day in knowledge of fact she had been requested to attend meeting regarding investigations - No remedies - Credibility finding in favour of respondent - Club Secretary
Result Application dismissed (Unjustified dismissal) ; Application granted (Unjustified disadvantage) ; Costs reserved
Statutes Friendly Societies and Credit Unions Act 1982;Trustees Act 1956 s29
Cases Cited Auckland Local Authorities Officers IUOW v Northcote Borough Council [1989] 2 NZILR 67;Birss v Secretary of Justice [1984] 1 NZLR 513;NZ etc Shipwrights etc Union v Honda NZ Ltd [1989] 3 NZILR 82;NZ (with exceptions) Food Processing etc IUOW v Unilever NZ Ltd [1990] 1 NZILR 35;The Warehouse Ltd v Cooper [2000] 2 ERNZ 351;W & H Newspapers Ltd v Oram [2000] 2 ERNZ 448 ; [2001] 3 NZLR 29
Number of Pages 13
PDF File Link: aa 308_05.pdf [pdf 80 KB]