Director personally on the hook after casual weekend gig ends in security escort
Employment Relations Authority member Eleanor Robinson found on 31 August 2026 that a design intern was unjustifiably dismissed after security escorted her from an exhibition.
JXU, a recent interior design graduate, had been engaged by AEC Design Studio Limited for a casual three-day role at an exhibition stand from 12 to 14 September 2025, on minimum wage. The first evening passed without incident, according to the determination. On the second day, a dispute arose after JXU handed a visitor's business card to the company's director so he could follow up with the contact, then asked for it back so she could photograph it herself as proof she had done her job. The director refused, and when JXU persisted, he told her to leave. She refused, saying her shift was not finished. He then called security and had her removed from the venue.
The Authority found AEC gave no reason for the dismissal and followed no procedure, and determined it did not meet the test of justification under section 103A of the Act. JXU was awarded $446.50 in unpaid wages and $35.72 in holiday pay for the 19 hours she had been engaged to work but was prevented from completing.
On compensation, the determination described the dismissal as "a most distressing experience for JXU and caused her acute stress and anxiety." The Authority noted that JXU had a pre-existing history of psychiatric illness, of which AEC was not shown to...
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