Boss recognises contract breach

By MARIE WILSON*

Q. I left work in New Zealand in March to do my OE in Japan. My New Zealand employer then emailed me with a great job offer, which I accepted in May, leaving Japan.

From my first day back working, in June, I felt that something was not quite right, but was assured that everything was OK.

Yesterday I was made redundant with no warning. The only reason I returned to New Zealand was because of this great opportunity to move from tertiary teaching into a quality assurance role, which many would have overlooked me for.

I have not signed a contract yet, but my employer acknowledges she has breached the contract. Based on my previous contract, there is no redundancy payout.

An alternative position is available, but I am not interested in it. What are my options?

A. Several of your statements lead me to think that you should consult the Employment Relations Service and/or a good employment lawyer immediately.

You should have a written agreement, but that you don't doesn't keep you from having a contract and rights under the law. The phrase "redundant with no warning" is particularly problematic, as redundancies require consultation and consideration of alternatives. I can't offer legal advice, but I think that you will be advised of several options for resolving this dilemma.

Q. I live in the Far North and am seeking work. My frustration has been using the internet and newspapers to seek vacancies. Having made contact with the employment agency, a number of problems occur.

The job has gone. Or you drive to Auckland to be interviewed, and the job may not have gone, so they put you on the database and you never hear from them again.

I am 56 and well-qualified in the credit industry having been a credit manager for Carter Holt Harvey. I may be over-qualified but all I want is to work.

Then I try the regional areas, but newspapers on the internet do not advertise vacant positions. So if you want to live in Hawkes Bay, as an example, there is no way of accessing job vacancies via internet except on Stuff.co.nz

Why is it that in this age of modern technology newspapers in local areas only advertise the news and not employment and classifieds?

Is this why our regional areas are suffering from hard-to-find-staff syndrome, or is Auckland the only place to work?

A. It is very difficult to search for work from outside an area, however, you shouldn't be limited by what appears in the paper, on or off the internet. If you are using the internet to search for jobs, that's a good start, and do make use of all online resources that you can.

But you can also use the internet for much more pro-active job search approaches. If you have identified an area or industry that you want to work in, search for companies that fit your criteria.

Find their websites, if they have them, or use the online directories to gain contact information. Send a well-developed CV and letter that sets out your career goals and skills, and details why you want to work for that company.

Follow up with phone calls and emails to see if there are opportunities for you. Credit managers are usually good researchers and very persistent - two sets of skills that should help tremendously with a job search.

Overall, while two to three months' search may seem a long time, it is not uncommon to have a job search of up to a year for professional and managerial jobs.

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