A former employee of Whitestone Cheese in Oamaru has been awarded $21,000 after the Employment Relations Authority found she was unjustifiably dismissed.
Rochelle Kelland worked at the cheese factory between 2013 and July 31, 2018, when she was dismissed after an exchange with another employee led to several meetings with
her employer, Whitestone Cheese Company Ltd.
Kelland was concerned that after the exchange she was being excluded at work, and was sent home upset on July 24.
In a July 31 letter terminating her employment effective immediately, Whitestone chief executive Simon Berry said her behaviour was the cause of others no longer wanting to work with her; she was disruptive and contributed to a feeling of overall unease in the workplace; and the company did not see the relationship between her and her co-workers could be repaired.
It also referred to a reluctance on her part to accept any responsibility for the situation, including her subsequent behaviour towards her line manager, and said the company had no reassurance the disruptive and aggressive behaviour would not continue.
