Senior lecturer found moonlighting at a UAE university while on his New Zealand employer's payroll
The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has upheld the dismissal of a University of Waikato senior lecturer who secretly accepted employment at a United Arab Emirates university while remaining on the New Zealand institution's payroll.
The ERA found that the University acted as a fair and reasonable employer throughout its disciplinary process, ruling that the lecturer was justifiably dismissed for serious misconduct.
The lecturer had been employed by the University of Waikato since September 2011, most recently as a senior lecturer within the Waikato Management School.
In November 2023, he signed an employment agreement with the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) as visiting faculty, which is a paid, full-time Monday-to-Friday role commencing January 2024, without disclosing it to his manager.
Around the same time, the lecturer applied to the University for a flexible working arrangement citing health and mental health difficulties, submitting a medical certificate stating he was "unfit to resume regular work for a period of 6 months."
In January 2024, his manager discovered the signed UAEU contract in the lecturer's office, prompting a disciplinary investigation at the University.
It was alleged that the lecturer had breached its Code of Conduct and collective agreement by committing to paid overseas employment without seeking approval and...
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