A Palmerston North tradesman who was told to "harden up" after calling in sick, eventually losing his job, has been awarded a $20,000 payout.
The impact on roofer Jack Lane was so severe that he ended up moving towns to start afresh, but he has successfully won his grievance against AB Roofing Ltd - which refused to engage in an Employment Relations Authority hearing.
Lane had texted his employer on April 25, 2017 to say that he was ill and wouldn't be at work.
The response was "harden up or no more job".