Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Wellington
Reference No WA 88/01
Determination date 06 December 2001
Member A Dumbleton
Representation C Reaich ; EJ Eastwood
Location Wellington
Parties Hato Paora College Trust Board v Stevenson
Summary UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL - Serious misconduct - Several instances of financial mismanagement - Failure to attend to health and safety problems - Matters that an employer acting reasonably could have taken up with an employee - Given notice of specific allegations and likely consequences if established - Had real opportunity to explain - Advised could have support person present - No bias or preconceived ideas about result of inquiry - Not influenced by irrelevant considerations - Substantively fair and reasonable enquiry - Natural justice did not require respondent to obtain explanation after applicant chose to forgo opportunity - Respondent's investigation required a balance of probabilities standard of proof - Although respondent believed applicant guilty of serious misconduct, dismissing on notice was justified - School hostel manager
Result Application dismissed ; Costs reserved
Cases Cited Airline Stewards and Hostesses of NZ IUOW v Air NZ Ltd [1990] 3 NZILR 584 ; [1990] 3 NZLR 549;Big Save Furniture Ltd v Bridge [1994] 2 ERNZ 507;BP Oil NZ Ltd v Northern Distribution Union [1992] 3 ERNZ 483;Drummond v Coca-Cola Bottlers NZ [1995] 2 ERNZ 229;NZ (with exceptions) Food Processing etc IUOW v Unilever NZ Ltd [1990] 1 NZILR 35;W & H Newspapers Ltd v Oram [2000] 2 ERNZ 448 ; [2001] 3 NZLR 29
Number of Pages 6
PDF File Link: PDF file not available for download, please contact us to request a copy.