The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has ordered a Palmerston North roofing firm to pay $20,000 to a worker fired for calling in sick.
An ERA ruling says AB Roofing Ltd fired Jack Lane in 2017, a dismissal he claimed was unjustified.
Lane says he received various forms of abuse as a result of the events, some of which were in emails from his previous employer, the ruling says.
On April 25, 2017, Lane texted his boss saying he was sick, and was unable to work. The reply was "harden up or no more job".
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According to the ruling, a subsequent message from his boss said "don't bother turning up. Over you wasting my time."
Assuming he had been dismissed, on April 29, Lane questioned his boss when he might receive his final pay. The response was, "u can f**k rite [sic] off mate".
The ERA says Lane's dismissal was unjustified, and found he was owed the unpaid wages.
AB Roofing were ordered to pay a total of $20,037.06, which must be paid by October 30, the ruling says.
Newshub.
