The Employment Relations Authority has upheld a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal following a redundancy.  The employee was a part-time shop assistant and was advised that her position and another part-time position were both being disestablished and one full-time position established.  There was no consultation before the decision was announced.

The ERA awarded four months lost wages plus $6,000 compensation for the upset felt by the employee.

If the employer had presented the staffing changes as a proposal and sought feedback before reaching its decision it could have saved itself lots of money and disruption.  The hasty attempt to save costs backfired due to the poor process adopted.

If you need help getting the redundancy process right please call me on (04) 473 6850.