Radio NZ's staffing drama set to run another season

By JAMES GARDINER

The long-running court case involving Radio New Zealand and its managing editor, Lynne Snowdon, may not be resolved until the end of next year, the Employment Court was told yesterday.

Ms Snowdon, who has been off work for nearly two years on full pay after suffering a breakdown early last year, has lodged personal grievances against the state broadcaster over the way she was treated by the company and its former chief executive Sharon Crosbie.

The parties have agreed there are no medical grounds to prevent her returning to work, but now the company has insisted she first appear before its lawyer, Michael Quigg, to answer questions relating to the personal grievance issues.

In Wellington yesterday, Ms Snowdon's lawyer, Dr Rob Moodie, asked the court for an injunction to prevent that happening while the personal grievances are proceeding.

Dr Moodie said the employer's direction was improper and contravened the Employment Relations Act, because the court had exclusive jurisdiction to make determinations about employment relationship disputes.

Mr Quigg said it was RNZ's belief, based on news media reports, that the employment relationship had irretrievably broken down.

According to what had been published, Ms Snowdon had accused the company, including its past and present management and board of directors, of "criminal wrongdoing, defamation, gross mismanagement, financial management including perpetrating a depreciation scam, being obstructive and not acting in good faith and acting with improper motives".

Mr Quigg said RNZ did not say it blamed Ms Snowdon for what had been published, but believed the damage to the employment relationship might be irreparable.

Judge Coral Shaw reserved her decision.