Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Wellington
Reference No WA 171/05
Hearing date 18 Oct 2005
Determination date 01 November 2005
Member D Asher
Representation D McLeod ; S Kelly
Location Napier
Parties Tamarua v Toll NZ Consolidated Ltd
Summary UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL - Serious misconduct - Dismissed for taking eight jars of jam - Unblemished record - Respondent had installed camera surveillance because property was disappearing - Applicant adamant that jars he took were from a consignment that was going to be dumped and he took product only because it was rubbish - A single outbreak of dishonest behaviour could be so destructive of relationship of trust and confidence - Respondent's position plainly stated - Applicant had no authority to take jam - Dismissal justified - No evidence to support claim that applicant had been dismissed to save respondent cost of making him redundant - UNJUSTIFIED DISADVANTAGE - No disadvantage by procedure adopted by respondent in lead up to dismissal of applicant - Applicant elected to sign document acknowledging had been warned of potential dismissal - Evidence disclosed no basis for claim that applicant unfairly disadvantaged by respondent's process because insufficient regard was had to fact English was his second language and/or because of his cultural background - No unjustified disadvantage - Freight handler
Result Application dismissed ; Costs reserved
Statutes ERA s103A
Cases Cited Barratt v Effem Foods Ltd unreported, Goddard CJ, 21 September 1993, WEC 24/93
Number of Pages 8
PDF File Link: wa 171_05.pdf [pdf 32 KB]