Two women sacked for becoming pregnant have been awarded more than $58,000 in compensation.
Sophie Melrose was awarded about $36,000 for being demoted after telling her bosses at The Vulcan bar she was pregnant and subsequently losing her job in December last year.
In a separate case, Doris Chiu was awarded more than $22,000 after being sacked from New Deli Cafe in August last year, after telling her employers she was pregnant.
The Employment Relations Authority rejected claims from both employers that they fired the women for other reasons.
The authority says Ms Melrose did not get the chance to counter claims that she lied about her working hours on her time sheet and says she was fired because she was pregnant.
The authority says Ms Chiu's employers argue they dismissed her after she failed to prove her eligibility to work in New Zealand, but she says her employees were trying to cover up their failure to pay her PAYE tax.
The lawyer for Ms Chiu's former employer, Stuart Gloyn, says they are extremely disappointed at the decision and his client intends to lodge an appeal.
