Auckland car salesman wins payout after being dismissed for looking for another job

Former Fortis Cars salesman Daniel Morgan received $3,000 compensation for unfair dismissal. Photo / 123RF

An Auckland car salesman has won an unfair dismissal case after claiming he was sacked for looking for another job.

The Employment Relations Authority ordered Fortis Cars to pay Daniel Morgan $3000 in compensation for the unfair dismissal.

According to the ERA decision, Morgan was dismissed on September 5 last year during a meeting with his manager, Clyde Hollick.

Hollick said it had come to his attention that Morgan had been looking for other jobs.

When Morgan confirmed this was true, Hollick responded by telling him that he believed this to be un-teamlike, and asked Morgan to remove his jacket.

No statement in reply was filed by Fortis Cars to the ERA. In addition, there was no appearance for or on behalf of Fortis Cars at an investigation meeting.

In giving evidence on the impact that the dismissal had on him, Morgan said he felt traumatised and explained how he had "battled" to honour his financial commitments following his termination, leading to him feeling stressed.

However, Morgan was able to secure another job within three weeks of his dismissal from Fortis Cars, and bank statements during his period of unemployment show Morgan had received support from Work and Income New Zealand.

Morgan tried to claim compensation in the sum of $11,000, but while the authority agreed Morgan had suffered humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to his feelings, it believed the evidence presented warranted a lower payout.

Fortis Cars has been contacted for comment by the Herald.