In the ever-evolving landscape of employment law, some cases stand out due to their sheer audacity. Recently, the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ordered a payment of close to $60,000 in unpaid wages to an employee fired under unjust circumstances. Yican Liao, employed by Wenshuo “Jack” Li at Rams Restaurant in Wellington from 2016 to 2020,…read more >
In a notable decision, the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has ordered Tupu Suisala to repay $8,483 to Specialty Metals, a Christchurch-based metals recycling firm. This repayment follows a software glitch that resulted in Suisala being overpaid during his employment. The ruling underscores the importance of honouring repayment agreements and the legal remedies available to companies…read more >
Are you aware of your public holiday entitlements under the Holidays Act 2003? Knowing the law is crucial to understanding your entitlements as an employee. Section 40(3) outlines some of these in relation to public holiday pay here in New Zealand. 40 Relationship between annual holidays and public holidays (3) The employee is entitled…read more >
Our Director Simon Greening was recently interviewed by New Zealand Herald regarding employee redundancy rights under NZ law. Find the full article here… Here are our 3 favorite points: 1) Redundancy is about the position not the person. The big thing about redundancy is that it’s about positions, not people. Although your position…read more >
The Covid-19 Pandemic was a trying time for a lot of employers and employees. The pressures of supply-chain delays, lockdowns and the general unrest of a global pandemic made doing business more difficult than ever. While we would all like to forget that period – some people are only now receiving the compensation for wrongful…read more >
Yes, you read that right. In a recent decision from the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), an apprentice was recently found to be unjustifiably dismissed after he told his site foreman he’d put a nail through his forehead. Background Matthew Cooper was an apprentice for NXT Level Construction Limited in Queenstown. He had been employed…read more >
Being paid late is never nice. But wages that are never paid at all are worse. The Employment Relations Authority recently decided a case involving just that. In this decision, Red Guard, a security services provider, was ordered to pay $9389 plus interest for numerous breaches of employment standards. The breaches included unpaid wages for…read more >
Family disputes can be messy even without money, business or employment matters involved. A recent decision from the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) involved all three and saw a daughter taking her father’s business to Court over an employment dispute. Background This dispute arose at a large yacht brokerage firm and was initiated by the…read more >
Liquidated Business Still Liable For Breaches Committed While Trading. Many business owners believe that they are safe from past behavior once their company has been placed into liquidation. In a recent decision from the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) it was held that a liquidated business could still be held liable for breaches committed while it…read more >
A large part of New Zealand agriculture depends on seasonal migrant labour to operate. While these workers are a valuable part of our economy, they are not always treated that way. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for NZ businesses to be caught exploiting migrant labour in favour of their bottom line. In a recent decision…read more >
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