Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Wellington
Reference No WA 125/09
Hearing date 16 Jun 2009
Determination date 02 September 2009
Member P R Stapp
Representation G Clarke ; G Ballara
Location Wellington
Parties Smith v Datamail Ltd
Summary UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL – Applicant claimed unjustified dismissal because respondent failed to carry out thorough investigation of serious misconduct –Investigation conducted into failure to verify data as part of job description – Applicant confirmed claim – Respondent concluded applicant’s actions constituted serious misconduct – Applicant dismissed without notice – Respondent stated no trust or confidence in applicant – Applicant argued team under resourced – Authority found fair and reasonable employer would give claim little weight as never raised before – Applicant argued believed discretionary powers with regard to verification – Rejected by Authority because job profile clear about policy and procedure – Applicant claimed failure to verify was widespread practice – Found respondent entitled to investigate claim separately – Found applicant’s confirmation of failure to verify data sufficient for respondent to hold policies and procedures not properly followed by applicant – Found applicant informed of decision and given reasons for decision – Applicant had opportunity to reply – Found fair procedure followed – Dismissal justified – Manager
Result Application dismissed ; Costs reserved
Main Category Personal Grievance
Statutes ERA s103A
Number of Pages 11
PDF File Link: wa 125_09.pdf [pdf 45 KB]