Farting postie fails to get job back

File photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

A farting Christchurch postie, who falsified his time sheets because he had to make more toilet stops, has lost his bid to be reinstated after the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruled he resigned of his own free will.

Marc Sanger, employed by NZ Post up until November last year, said he was induced to resign in what he called a constructive dismissal during a disciplinary process.

He went to the ERA, seeking to have his resignation declared null, compensation, lost wages, reinstatement and penalties for breach of good faith.

According to the ERA decision released today, Mr Sanger was called to a disciplinary meeting to discuss four allegations; a customer complaint, talking angrily to a team leader, "passing wind in circumstances where there had been a formal complaint", and signing off incorrect times on time dockets.

The customer complaint arose from an incident in which Mr Sanger remonstrated someone for not moving their car so he could get his bicycle past yelling "bloody inconsiderate people parking cars".

That led to an exchange with his team leader, where Mr Sanger said he was frustrated because the complaint was a trivial matter.

As to the passing wind complaint, Mr Sanger provided a medical certificate, which was accepted by NZ Post.

Mr Sanger accepted that he had put an earlier finish time for 10 time dockets - his finish time did not square with the times mail was delivered to a local school, after teachers had finished work.

Mr Sanger explained he entered the earlier times because he had to make more frequent toilet stops and the actual times would have affected his performance results.

Mr Sanger resigned after he was told that the only option for falsifying the time dockets was dismissal, and he feared he could lose his company superannuation contributions.

NZ Post argued Mr Sanger resigned of his own free will and ERA member Helen Doyle agreed.

- NZPA