It called the delay a two day slip, but the court counted 73 and gave it no more time
A welder's grievance payout will stand after his former employer missed the deadline to challenge it, Chief Judge Christina Inglis ruled 22 July 2026.
Steel Master Co Limited had asked the Employment Court for leave to file a late challenge to an Employment Relations Authority determination, together with a stay of the Authority's orders while that challenge was heard. The Chief Judge dismissed both applications.
The welder's employment ended in May 2024. He raised a personal grievance, which the Authority upheld. It ordered Steel Master to pay him $11,000 in compensation, $9,593.86 for eight weeks' lost wages and holiday pay, $4,443.61 in unpaid leave entitlements, and $71.55 for the filing fee. A later costs determination added $5,071.55.
Under the Employment Relations Act 2000, a party dissatisfied with an Authority determination has a strict 28 day window to take the matter to the Court. For Steel Master, that window closed on 26 August 2025. The company tried to file a statement of claim on 28 August, two days late. The registry rejected it and advised that leave to extend time was needed.
Steel Master then sought the welder's consent to the late filing, which was refused on 19 September 2025. Its formal application to extend time was not filed until 7 November 2025.
The company argued it should not be penalised for what it framed as a two day slip caused by an administrative error....
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