Employment
Some unethical employment advocates are causing psychological and reputational damage, according to those working in the area
The Government plans to review the lack of regulatory controls of poor or fly-by-night employment advocates, amid calls for a crackdown.
Similar to a lawyer, an advocate will represent someone – usually an employee – during employment disputes. But unlike lawyers, who must hold a current practising certificate, advocates aren’t required to meet any training or qualification standards. Nor is there any professional body to complain to and seek redress for poor conduct.
Some advocates do have some legal training, including a law degree, but it’s not a prerequisite and essentially anyone can call themselves an employment advocate.
Rather than increasing access to justice, there are fears that this free for all means vulnerable clients get the short end of the stick.
Employment lawyer Alastair Hall says he's seen this first hand. He describes one case in which an aggrieved worker was ordered to pay costs to her employer, after her employment advocate-led claim for a permanent contract and pay rise was rejected.
Nicola Francis' allegations of constructive dismissal and unjustified disadvantage by her employer, Ruawai Rest Home, were fundamentally flawed and lacked legal foundation, right from the beginning, according to 2017 findings.
The Employment Relations Authority ended up rejecting Francis' claim and the case could have been done and...
The Health Minister says talk of treatment delays at Starship hospital has been blown out of proportion. The Auckland children's hospital's confirmed about 20 chemotherapy cycles have been delayed...