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A farm worker sacked after he beat a cow with a plastic pipe has had his appeal against dismissal rejected by the Employment Relations Authority.
Bruce Haussman appealed against his dismissal by Canterbury farm owners Allan and Lynette Smith.
Haussman said his dismissal was unjustified, as he had only slapped the cow once to get her moving.
However, in a determination by the authority, member James Crichton said he found the evidence given by the Smiths and their manager more believable than that of Mr Haussman's.
The Smiths specifically required their employees to treat the animals on the farm with consideration, and discouraged verbal or physical violence towards them.
On the day in question, the farm manager had watched Mr Haussman yell at the cow and hit her repeatedly with a plastic pipe.
The cow was in distress and eventually trapped her leg, requiring veterinary attention.
The manager herself was scared of Haussman who was aggressive and angry.
Mr Crichton said Mr Smith had been justified in summarily dismissing Mr Haussman, primarily because of the seriousness of the incident.
"In a business which earns its income by the management of animals, abuse of animals must of necessity be taken very seriously indeed. It is hard to imagine a more serious offence in a farming situation than the wanton cruelty to an animal of the sort which Mr Smith found proved against Mr Haussman," Mr Crichton said.
He rejected Mr Haussman's claim the dismissal was unjustified, and ordered him to pay $1154 of overdue power and phone accounts he owed the Smiths.
- NZPA
