At a Christchurch casino, mother Tanya Cooper was made “redundant” after she took parental leave to have a baby.
Shortly after her son was born, Cooper was told her food and beverage department had undergone an internal review, and she was forced to reapply for one of the new jobs.
But she was unsuccessful and offered a lower level position which would require her to take a pay cut after six months. Cooper refused the effective demotion as she’d been a long-term employee who had enjoyed a number of promotions while also completing a commerce degree.
The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) concluded:
“Ms Cooper was excited about her job with the casino and had every intention of resuming her career after arental leave. She felt that being offered a demotion was a black mark on her name and that she had put so much effort into her position before the parental leave. Ms Cooper is I find entitled to compensation for the humiliation and distress suffered and caused by a redundancy that was not genuine. In all the circumstance I am of the view that an appropriate amount for compensation is $12,000 without deduction and I so order.”
Here’s one for the staff.
