Air NZ to appeal decision on employees' internet use

Air New Zealand is appealing an Employment Relations Authority (ERA) case it lost involving overuse of the internet by employees.

One employee visited 12,857 internet sites in just over 60 hours, while another visited 8303 sites in nearly 44 hours.

But the ERA found that four storemen at the company's Christchurch Engineering services division were unjustifiably dismissed and ordered the airline to reinstate them and pay compensation.

Vanessa Stoddart, the airline's group general manager of human resources, said the company would appeal.

Visits to sexually explicit sites, dating sites and a site showing hot rods were referred to in the decision.

Each of the employees testified that they had had no formal training in the computer system.

The store's employees taught each other how to use the internet.

The case was between John Bisson, Carl Gardner, Andrew Cameron and Martin King and the airline.

One of the issues was multiple access to an employee's login. Up to 24 people had access to one employee's login details.

A central issue was whether excessive searching of the internet amounted to serious misconduct.

The decision by Paul Montgomery was that there was extensive misuse of computer access and it was unsafe for Air New Zealand to reach the conclusions it had in respect of the employees.

The argument that access to an information technology system formed a contract with the employees failed because employees were not advised of their obligation under the so-called contract, he said.

The company also failed to investigate claims that the sharing of system data was widespread.

The company also failed to take account of Mr Bisson's 31 years of service.

Mr Bisson provided 23 apprentices working in stores for a week with his login because they didn't have one.

- NZPA