Dental aide wins $23,000

A dentist's assistant who was told she had lost her job when she tried to return from maternity leave has been awarded nearly $23,000 in compensation and lost wages.

Justine Dakers was a "chairside assistant" for Anthony Perry at a Christchurch dental practice from 1999 until taking a year's maternity leave from November 2003.

But when she spoke to Dr Perry in October the following year about returning to work, he told her her job had "disappeared".

Dr Perry had given her job to another employee at the practice.

Ms Dakers laid a personal grievance claim with the Employment Relations Authority, which ordered Dr Perry to pay her $12,500 for breaching her rights under the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act, and $9162 for lost wages.

Dr Perry had told the authority he had believed Ms Dakers' job had changed in the time she was away.

"I had obtained legal advice that seeing the job description had changed dramatically I wasn't obliged to employ her."

But authority member James Crichton decided there was a position Ms Dakers could have returned to.

- NZPA