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NZ Post has been ordered to repay docked wages to a group of posties who staged a "secret strike" by putting mail back into postboxes.
The ruling - described as a test case by the Employment Relations Authority - was attacked by National yesterday as a "farcical situation" which allowed workers to employ guerrilla tactics.
But Labour Minister Ruth Dyson said the workers' tactic was unusual, and one most unions would not encourage.
The Auckland posties went on "secret strike" in July last year in a row over a new employment agreement.
They went to their delivery branches and helped sort the mail in the morning, then took it out on their rounds.
But they then reposted some letters, which went back to the sorting centres and the delivery branches.
As soon as NZ Post found out what they had done, it suspended their pay from the day they began the action.
But the Employment Relations Authority has ruled it illegal to backdate a suspension notice.
"The posties are entitled to pay for all the hours worked on the day of the strike action and for hours worked on the next working shift up to the time that they were issued with suspension notices," said authority member Robin Arthur.
Postal services chief executive Peter Fenton told the authority NZ Post had decided not to take disciplinary action against individuals because they were acting on the advice of their union.
But it was "unconscionable" to have to pay the posties for what he described as an act of sabotage.
The Postal Workers Association, which represented the posties, said they deserved to be paid because some productive work was done during the day.
NZ Post argued it was denied opportunity to serve suspension notices because the posties "set out to catch it unawares" and so it should be able to impose suspension notices from the time of the strike.
But Mr Arthur said that argument failed because it relied on the notion that an employer should be entitled to notice of intended strike action.
NZ Post declined to comment on the ruling yesterday.
But National's labour and industrial relations spokeswoman, Kate Wilkinson, said the Government should close a "legal loophole".
"This farcical situation needs to be remedied."
Ruth Dyson said a secret strike was an unusual way of registering dissatisfaction with an employer and she did not believe it would have "widespread application".
