Boalth v Mr Christian Pty Ltd [1995] QIRC 272 (1995) 149 QGIG 1001

1000 QUEENSLA D GOVERNMENT IND US T RlAL GAZETTE 128 July, I 995 28 July. 1995 ] QUEENS LAND GOVE R~M EN T IND US TRIAL GAZETTE 1001 llll ##li##/llllll/l/#llil#lll/1/###ll#lll/#ll/f# ## l/l/l///llfl##Hll/lll#llil##IIIIIIIIII/I l m l11.r1r ial Nr•/u1io11.,· , 1('1 I 9 90 ,.2')5 dpplic.uwn for rcIn,1.i1cmcn1 :-- ..J . ll oa lth M r Chr i,1 i~ n l' ly , I Id Xo H'I( of /995 J ( ( l'vJMISS l ON l:R Dl.Ml'S EY I 2Ju l) 1995 ·1cn nination Ill' Employ m.:nt ·- l{ c i11 s1a tc111c11 1 • E\'idcncc - Cuslom cr ( 'omplamt Proccdura! hiimc,s l Insat1 ~fuc1or:, \\. ur l,. 1\rfonndnu: - h:munation llarsh. l 'nJUst ,md 1: 111:t.r - Cnmpcma11on A\\ardcd. REPOR I ON DI C. ISION ( .\<; l· DITH>) In g1v11tg a dcc1s1011 from the Hench on 5 Jui) 19\1 5 the Com111 iss1n 11 cr sa id · ..T he app lic an t i n 1111, 111at1 cI is r-.:icol c ll oa lt h \\ ho was crnplt,ycd h:, Mr Chri~tian l ' t~ Ltd ~hoe store 111 ,\Jbcrt ')1rce1. llr i,h.tne 154560 77 M s ll oalth was hi red as mana ger of the store previousl y rl.!fcrTcd to. f or the employer. one of t he compan~ ·s di~e1ori,, \ l r.. Adam~. gdve evidence and I ha, c caken t har evi den ce 11110 acco11 11 1. l have al so been persu ade d IC1 m~ ultinwtc c on cl usion by th e demea n ou r or t he ,vitncss an d :he unccrtaintJ of her c, idcnce given eh II ic changed on a num ,.<: r of occa,iom Ms I lcndcrso 11 . lhc comp an y ge neral rnunugcr also gav.: c, idcnce and I can an d do accept 1ha1 M, ll en<krson I~ quite .. me11culous pcr..on an d understand~ Ihc n.:.:d~ and requm:mc nts ol her .: mploycr in order 10 he SLll'CCss f'u l in Ihc retail ~a le of shoe~ . I fer cv 1dcncc is :. Im m ore crcdi b h: than thal or Ms Adam, allliough I must ~ .., I dm ~urpnscd tha t an asses~mcnt of Ms lloallh b) her cm p lo)er originates from a co 111plain1 made hy u cus1u111cr aI a Fiji ouI lc 1. Then secon<l - lmnd infonnalion come~ to ',)dnc) dlld the cmploycr ma J.. cs rclcrcncc to it m these procc.:d1 n gs The employer w 11ti: nds thal over lhc period of empl oyment "hich \\ ;B onl) t,~o mon1hs that d1>c uss1on.~ '"'h the apphcan1 should hd,·e Jell he r in no doubt \\hmsocvcr !hat there \\ as di ssat isfaction wi th her pcrl'onnan cc ahhough Ms ff cndcr so n d oc, ackno\\ l edge that the lhrcat oJ Iem1ina11on of cmplo} mcnt \\;t, not made m precise ,md clear tenns, JI lc,l\l uni ii th e , c~ l ast clti) . The .ipphcant \ conten tion is qu11c ,unplc and 11 is thal the manner 111 "h1ch t'1e empll•} ment \\rl~ h.'rm1natcd "a" harsh, un fair nnd un,i usl bec ause there wcn: no warn i ngs and real rea,on, \\en! nut giH:n thu, de nying the app lieJnl pmccdural fa 1m.:,~ and JO opportunII) 10 dcfond against ,pcc1tic allcga1 1ons. I ha, c one scriou, cruicism 111 the ,1pplicant in th is ma11cr Jnd that i:. that for ,omc n:a,1111 ,he did not lake the \\itn c~, ,t.md ~nd ,a 1h_1ce1 he rse l f lo cross C,\ !l!T1i na1 io 11 h) t he Icspo11dc111 . I la, 111g IJ J..cn all 111 thc mfonnation and e, 1dcncc 111:forc me mto account ,md in particular 1hc C\'Cnb \lf -l Junuar) 1995 \\l 11ch is th e day ul dismi ssa l. togcIhcr \\'i th the prnce ss or l ack of prnccss. I \Hlu lJ 1,ondudc thai there \\dS no proccdur.il fo1mess afforded 10 ~I, lloahh. I am ~a tisficd thill th e employer's scpara Ii11n cert i licatc stipulul cs un~atl\!Jctof) pc r li,nnancc ,111d gl\en !hat thi~ t:onten11011 was not ch,tllengcd I "111 accept t ha t t hm comment ,1ppcars ,1 11 th e sc par,1Iion cc ni l1ca1c . I f' un,a1 isfacll)ry pcrfom1ancc or a brcal..<lu"n in communicat mn was the real r cai.on lhc emplo}er had for tcnninaung M s IJnalth •s cmplo) mcnt I mu~t conclude t hat pu1,u an1 10 th e provisions or sec ti on 292 , uhs.:clion (I) or th e l11 , h,s tria l /frluuons 11" /990 1h c employer should hn \'c ,;aid. •ll cre arc the rca~on~ "h) \\C "ish 10 tcnninatc ) our .:mplo}mcm.'. then gnc the emplo)ec an opportunIt) co defend including the r i g. hi w oh1ain advice and I r ncccssnry co111p c1cn1 rcprc ,e111U tion. Bccau ,c these proced ures \\Crc deni ed to the ap plican t, I lind t h:1 1 lhc Ic rmi11 ;1L io11 of M s ll llailh ·s e 1n ploymc n1 to be lrn rsh, unju~t and unfair ,Ind \\Ould ha, c in other c ircumstances ordered that she be rc.:in~t.11cd 10 her former po~uwn and that ~he be paid 111 fu ll f'rom the t11nc of tctmi na ti on un ti l th e ti me she was rcinslatcd. ll o\,C\ er. 11 \\ ould appear to mt: tha t there is clearl) an im:tr ic~ ahlc hrcakdo \\11 in lhc rclu1ionship hetwcc:n lht: cmplo)cr and t he cmplo)re and I int end 10 consider the quc~II 011 of comp,.:ns ation Ms fioalth's period of cinplo)ment b extremely ~hon and under grncral circumstan ce~ \\Ould a11ra ct vc.: ry li 11 lc 111 compi.: nsatory l t: l'lll S. I lowcver. I ha ve taken into cons 1der.it1on 1he fJcl that other emplo~ mcnt was a, ailablc to M -. I ~805_1.D()C -- 1 of 2 -- 1002 QUEENSLA D GOVERNMENT INDUSTRI AL GA Z ETTE Boalth and altho ugh this facwr \,.i~ unl..nown to tlll.' employer 1hc applicant ,1dvi,cd the cm p lo)cr o l her 1:on ,1dcra1i~n, to resi gn and was for whate ver r ca~o11 was pcrsuatkd to rcm am fu rth er I am pcr:,u<1d 1.·d 10 a level o f compensat ion given tha t the Jpp lie<1nt held the pu ,ition of store man.iger mid onl) got one wceks pay in Iieu o r not icc . I have taken mw w11s1dcra1 1on thc cmplo~ crs de~ire tu ob:.ef\ c the a" ard "hcn II came 10 1cm1in.i11o n o l i.:mplo)mcnt and not gu be}ond 1h 1, when the Jpp lic;ull contends that a<ld11ionnl hour, were \\ Orkcd and this contcn 11on was not challcngi.:d. 1ha,..: al,o b<:<·n informed th,11 tlu.: apphcam ha~ tal..en r..:ason,1ble ~lcps to mi ti 11,n 1c ag.0111, 1 lo:.I income and has rcccntl) secured ,mother position. In all the cirwm,tan<.-cs. I d..:trnnim: that the a pplicant be ~,,a rd cd a sum of mone) pur.,uunt 10 the pro\l,ion ~ i>f ,ccllon 297 su hsect ion(2)(h) ,,f the lndu~trial rdat i1111 , Act which ,s ,1pproximatel) lh c ,,eel.., pa) I hd, c tJkcn mto m~ considera ti on in a" a1di 11 g a sum o l'm oncy a fai r period ofMticc (one month minus one \\eel.. alr..:,1d~ paid ) and compcn!-ation to th e cqu ivalcnl of two wcck~ pay rhc rcspumknt i, 1h cn: l1m: onlcrcd pur.,uum 1\1 th..: pro, is,on, of :..:etion 297 ,ubscction (2)(h) w p a) I() the applicant a ~u m of $2.6~5 in 1hc fom1 of compcn,a 1io11 •· U) lhc Cumnm~ion . 11 ..S. I R. II. Ul.UMS llM lndu,tnJI Hcgistrar. Mr Ci .W Boalth. with l1i111 Mis s N lloa lth for the appli cant. M< S t lc 11 dcr~o 11 . 11 1th her M~ II . Ada111> fur Mr< lm, 1ian l't~ I tJ . Opcrutivc date NI /\ 1Jcc1s1on - Kctn~tatcmcnt Comp.:n,ation Rckas~d 12Jul~ 1995 [28 Jul y. 1995 28 Jul y, 199 51 QU EE SLAND GOVER. ME T ll DUSTRIAL GAZETTE 10 03 -- 2 of 2 --