1 Nov 2015

Farm worker awarded $20,000 for sacking

8:57 am on 1 November 2015

A farm worker fired after a series of disputes at work is to get more than $20,000 in compensation and lost wages.

The Employment Relations Authority found Teresa Jansen was unjustifiably dismissed from a farm owned by the D R and D M McKenzie Family Trust.

She had worked for the trust as a relief milker and calf rearer from July 2013.

The authority's ruling said her partner also worked on the farm and had been assaulted by another employee in August last year, after which Ms Jansen's relationship with her fellow employees began to deteriorate.

The ruling said her employer felt Ms Jansen was the reason for the workplace's 'toxic' environment, but it was not fair to dismiss her for that reason.

It said concerns were not raised with Ms Jansen before she was dismissed.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs