Auckland worker wrongly accused of abandoning his job wins compensation after ERA rules dismissal unjustified
A New Zealand construction worker has been awarded more than $30,000 after the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) found he was unjustifiably dismissed when his employer falsely claimed he had abandoned his job during an approved overseas holiday.
ERA Member Matthew Piper ruled that the employer had dismissed the worker without justification, and then compounded the matter by failing to return his tools and withholding legally required employment records.
The employee had been working as a site coordinator for the company since April 2024, having previously worked for it as a carpenter.
In August 2024, the employee's manager approved his trip to Canada that would begin in January 2025. He was expected to use his annual leave for the first portion of the trip, then unpaid leave until he returned in late March or early April in of the same year.
The employee left his personal tools at the company's warehouse for colleagues to use when he left for Canada.
While away, the employee remained reachable and was contacted by the company about work matters on multiple occasions. He never resigned.
Upon returning to New Zealand in late March 2025, however, he messaged his manager to confirm he would be back at work but received no reply.
On April 7, the manager asked him to collect his tools. When the employee asked whether that meant he needed to...
Veteran Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor has strongly rejected false reports circulating on social media claiming his death, calling the rumours “completely fake” and confirming that he is “healthy an...