Search Employment Law

Cooper No 1 sold its business and told Ms Piacun her employment was ending, without paying a notice period. The ERA considered whether the sale itself ended employment or whether Cooper had taken the initiative to terminate her contract.

Limei Wang was made redundant by Serenity Float Clinic while the business was in serious financial difficulty. The issue was not whether insolvency pressures were real, but whether those pressures excused the employer from consulting with her before deciding that her employment would end.

Emily Barr complained about repeated belittling and dismissive treatment by her manager. Brooker Travel obtained an external investigation but then failed to adequately protect her, disclose the final report or provide a workable return-to-work plan. The ERA found unjustified disadvantage and constructive dismissal, awarding $20,000 compensation and six months' lost wages with associated entitlements.

PR Kahlon had genuine, documented concerns about delivery driver Mandeep Singh's performance and safety, but knew English was a serious barrier and still used English for critical disciplinary communications rather than Punjabi. His suspension and dismissal followed without a clear opportunity to understand and answer the case against him.

Farm assistant Blue Hunt's employment ended after a cowshed dispute with Lance Wakelin. The case required the ERA to determine who the employer was, whether Mr Hunt had been dismissed and whether any fair process or substantive reason justified the termination.

Sukhmanpreet Singh's dispute with JIT arose after he was pressed to submit an annual-leave request and a confrontation followed. JIT then cancelled his shifts on claimed mental-stress grounds and later dismissed him for serious misconduct, while the ERA examined the conduct of both sides.

Sidney Yu and Jing Tham were engaged by Queenstown Nursery for temporary plant work and were later selected to stop working, with the employer relying on weather and alleged comparative inefficiency. The case concerned whether the casual or short-assignment characterisation justified ending their work without a fair process.

Aaron Potter was disciplined and dismissed by Talley's after disputes surrounding a health and safety representative election and communications involving other employees. The case focused on whether Talley's properly investigated the competing accounts and relevant messages before deciding serious misconduct was established.