Head Chef wrongfully accused of being stoned

A head chef wrongfully accused of being stoned or intoxicated on the job has won a $6000 payout. Carl Tierney denied being intoxicated during a shift at the Suntrap Lobster Inn in the coastal tourist town of Kaikoura.

It was alleged that he showed up for his April 13, 2012 shift either stoned or intoxicated. The next day, Mr Tierney said he slept through his alarm and missed his early shift.

During a meeting with the Pablecheques the following week, Mr Tierney told them: "I don't drink eight hours before a shift and I don't do drugs." He offered to take a drug test and provided a urine sample, but before the results came back negative he was sacked for serious misconduct.

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NZ workers' itchy feet positive sign, says expert

More than half the workers in an employment survey plan to look for a new job in the next year.

According to a survey from recruitment firm Michael Page, 56 per cent of those questioned were "very likely" to seek a job with another employer in the coming 12 months.

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Baby issue 'up to Speaker'

Prime Minister John Key does not believe Parliament's hours should be reduced to make it more "family friendly", saying having children while in Parliament was "challenging but do-able" and it was up to each party to ensure nursing mothers had the support and time out needed.

Speaker David Carter is considering introducing special leave provisions for nursing mothers after Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta was in Parliament with her baby until midnight on Friday because of urgency.

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ERA orders Vodafone to reinstate lawyer

Vodafone has been ordered to reinstate its top lawyer after it scrapped his role and overlooked him for a newly created, near-identical position.

David Kreider was employed as general counsel at the telco in September 2004 until his role was dissestablished in the restructuring following Vodafone's acquisition of TelstraClear in October last year.

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Manager must return unauthorised payments

A former manager at printer and publisher Horton Media must pay back more than $700,000 in unauthorised overtime and other payments.

The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruling has rejected a personal grievance claim by the manager and a claim for payment in lieu of working out her notice.

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Worker wins $29,000 for wrongful sacking

An Auckland accountant whose "Chinese custom" of staying in a bedroom with her newborn baby for 30 days was broken by a tearful argument with her boss has been awarded nearly $30,000 after being unjustifiably dismissed.

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Christchurch rebuild workers test positive for drugs

Seven workers were banned from the central city rebuild in March after returning positive drug tests.

The seven are among 16 workers who have had their accreditation cancelled by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority over drugs since the demolitions and rebuilds began.

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