TV chief wants Wood to stay in job

Susan Wood

Susan Wood was back at work last night, and her lawyer Mai Chen was due to meet TVNZ today to sort out the process of renegotiation after her successful employment case.

TVNZ assistant CEO Stephen Smith publicly stated his support of Wood yesterday, after a week filled with speculation about the extent to which the very public spat would damage her reputation with the network and with viewers.

He said TVNZ was keen to see Wood continue in her role and would negotiate again now that she had won her case before the Employment Relations Authority.

Wood had claimed TVNZ could not unilaterally cut her salary because her fixed-term contract was ineffective.

The authority ruled that she was, in effect, a permanent employee because there were no stated reasons for her contract to end.

It said Wood and TVNZ should renegotiate the salary on the basis that the Close Up presenter was a permanent employee.

"We regret that the issues raised in the Employment Relations Authority could not be sorted out privately, but we are now determined to resolve matters as a priority," Mr Smith said.

Mai Chen plans to ask TVNZ today what it is planning to do to restore the relationship of confidence and trust with Wood given their actions to date.

Wood was upset that she was directed against her will not to work on Monday, the day the decision over her $100,000 salary reduction was due.

The case will have implications for TVNZ, which has traditionally offered its presenters fixed-term contracts.

In light of the ruling, TVNZ has checked all fixed-term contracts to make sure it does not run into similar problems with other staff.

Public affairs manager Avon Adams said she was certain there were no similar problems in other contracts, most of which had been reworded when renewed to meet the amendments to the Employment Relations Act.

"We have reviewed hundreds of contracts and there were only two contracts like Susan's under the old wording, and they were legitimate fixed-term contracts. So this is the only one of its kind."

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Can she continue to front Close-Up after her public row with TVNZ?

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