Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Christchurch
Reference No CA 82/10
Hearing date 30 Mar 2010
Determination date 31 March 2010
Member P Cheyne
Representation T Oldfield ; Q Donald
Location Christchurch
Parties White v Noahs Hotel (NZ) Ltd t/a Rydges Christchurch
Summary DISPUTE – Whether instructions to regularly clean within applicant’s employment duties – Applicant employed as Housekeeper Supervisor – Employment agreement (“EA”) provided applicant’s duties to check rooms and allocate rooms to housemaids – Respondent’s general manager (“D”) met with applicant to instruct applicant to regularly clean rooms – D advised applicant average number rooms being cleaned at respondent hotel below average rate at other hotels – Advised supervisors at other hotels regularly cleaned – Applicant claimed to union D unilaterally changed EA terms – Union met with D and orally raised matter – Respondent argued personal grievance not sufficiently raised – Authority found if applicant had grievance, union orally raised grievance – Found applicant not required to clean rooms as part of regular duties until later instructed by D – Found although applicant required to clean due to staff shortages, EA did not include cleaning as regular duties – Found arrangements at other hotels not relevant in defining scope of applicant’s duties – Found instructions outside scope of employment duties – Question answered in favour of applicant – Applicant sought compliance with EA – Authority adjourned application for compliance order to give respondent chance to comply with determination – Applicant claimed entitled to remedies for unjustified disadvantage caused by respondent’s instructions – Found applicant had no personal grievance therefore not entitled to compensation – PENALTY – Authority declined penalty award as there was no personal grievance – Housekeeping Supervisor
Result Applications dismissed (Unjustified disadvantage)(Penalty) ; Application adjourned (Compliance order) ; Question answered in favour of applicant ; Costs reserved
Main Category Dispute
Statutes ERA s61(2);ERA s103(3)
Cases Cited Clark v Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (2008) 8 NZELC 99,483; (2008) NZELR 628 (EMC);Poverty Bay Electric Power Board v Atkinson [1992] 3 ERNZ 413;Ruebe-Donaldson v Sky Network Television Ltd [2004] 2 ERNZ 83
Number of Pages 5
PDF File Link: ca 82_10.pdf [pdf 18 KB]