The employer changed its mind about paying up after the worker fought back
George Weston Foods wanted to hold back an $8,000 payout to one of its own employees. The Employment Relations Authority said no.
The determination, issued on October 7, 2026, is the latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between the food manufacturer - the company behind Tip Top bread - and a worker who was found to have been unjustifiably disadvantaged during a workplace investigation.
The backstory starts with an earlier Authority determination from March 2026. In that proceeding, the Authority found that George Weston Foods had acted inconsistently when identifying whether it was investigating a manager's conduct alongside the worker's own conduct. That inconsistency amounted to an unjustifiable disadvantage, and the worker was awarded $8,000 in compensation.
The rest of his grievances were not established.
George Weston Foods did not agree with the finding, but it was prepared to pay and move on. The worker was still an employee, and costs considerations weighed against further litigation.
Then the worker took the determination to the Employment Court, asking the Court to review the Authority's decision on the existing record rather than rehearing the whole case from scratch. George Weston Foods responded by pushing for a full rehearing.
That changed the company's calculus. In its view, the worker's challenge was not brought in good faith but was a reaction to how the company had handled a...
[OSEN=Choi Lee-jung Reporter] As past remarks by singer Yang Hong-won expressing his dislike of infidelity resurface, reactions continue to grow that the recent 'motel infidelity allegations' agai...