The suspended Rimutaka Prison manager, who was included in a parliamentary rugby team trip to France that saw the Corrections Minister lose his portfolio, has lost an employment case.
The Employment Relations Authority rejected Jim Morgan's claim that he should not have been suspended while being investigated foralleged misappropriation of prison gym money and misuse of a departmental vehicle, The Dominion Post reported today.
Mr Morgan has been suspended on full pay since last May.
He had asked the authority to be reinstated and claimed $25,000 in compensation.
But ERA member Denis Asher ruled the decision by the department to suspend him was fair.
"Mr Morgan operates in a managerial capacity in an inherently dangerous environment, one that requires his full concentration."
Mr Asher said Mr Morgan's presence at the prison could also obstruct the department's ability to complete a fair and reasonable investigation.
While Mr Morgan was suspended from his duties, he was part of a parliamentary rugby team that travelled to France, under the captaincy of Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor.
Mr Morgan's wife Marie, a senior private secretary in Mr O'Connor's office, had alerted the minister to the fact her husband was on suspension and queried whether it would be a problem.
When the political storm broke Mr O'Connor lost the Corrections portfolio in November's Cabinet reshuffle and tumbled down the Cabinet rankings.
