A little bit of faith restored in NZ

**Swoop** · 12th October 2006, 09:47

Originally Posted by Finn

The firings will continue until moral improves.

Morale......

**kickingzebra** · 12th October 2006, 10:14

Originally Posted by Swoop

Morale......

I quite agree. In a left wang society, what use are morals anyway?!

**Hillbilly** · 12th October 2006, 10:15

Hired a woman as a sales rep fro my Finance Brokerage company. She came highly recommended and was supposed to be qualified. Three weeks later she still refused to sign an employment contract and a Tax from. She was also useless, so I fired her.

Turns out she was nothing more than a trainee at a car dealership and she was on the dole. We were paying her $700/week clear. She tried to sue us and lost big time. I also reported her to the ATO, and turns out that they had sued her before for tax evasion. She got sued again for tax evasion.

At that time we could fire her because the laws here have a three month "probation period" where you can fire someone with jusr 24hrs notice. Those laws have since been changed by Mr Howard. Any company with less than 100 employees can't be sued for wrongful dismissal! Also, anyone in a casual position less than 6 months can be fired on the spot with no right to sue for unfair dismissal. he's also bought in Kiwi style employment contracts. The down side wor workers is there will obviously be a drop in wages, which is great for employers. Why should a storeman get paid $20/hr weekdays.

**RantyDave** · 12th October 2006, 10:27

Originally Posted by steved

Seems like a strange decision. Where is the board planning on taking the company?

It has apparently become a software marketing company. While this is not, actually, a bad idea (aggregating several related products under one roof is basically sound) it was the sales/marketing side of the company that was underperforming.

Another theory is that since the same (VC) investors own another company with basically too many developers that "we" lost the war and the development work went over there. I'm pretty sure that this is actually the case and have discovered a new and excellent way of losing a war - be unaware that it's even taking place.

The final answer is that the board are taking the company the same place that Feltex's board took them.

Dave

**Mooch** · 12th October 2006, 10:35

Good one Finn

No company should have to carry dead wood. 12 months is more than enough for to make the grade at your expense. Glad to see it ended in your favour.

**Ixion** · 12th October 2006, 11:24

there will obviously be a drop in wages, which is great for employers. Why should a storeman get paid $20/hr weekdays.

Why shouldn't they ? Getting ideas above their station ?

**WRT** · 12th October 2006, 11:30

Originally Posted by Paul in NZ

Thats not a brutal enough lesson for this idiot.

In this context (in keeping with Swoop tacking 'E's on the end of words), perhaps Finn needs to teach a brutale lesson instead?

**acewheelie** · 12th October 2006, 12:06

You can fire people quite easily with the ERA, its just you have to know how it works, and jump the necessary hoops just like any onther legislation.

We had an employmer based presentation on it by some legal beagle, and were a little more relieved about it after the fact.

Anyone needs to get rid of someone I'm available, cheap!

**WRT** · 12th October 2006, 12:08

Originally Posted by acewheelie

Anyone needs to get rid of someone I'm available, cheap!

Pays to be a bit more on the "down-low" when advertising your services for dirty deeds.

**mstriumph** · 12th October 2006, 12:23

Hmmmmmmmm ...... and a further thought to cheer your day, Finn
- think of the REFERENCE you can give the miscreant if ever asked?

**Wolf** · 12th October 2006, 12:34

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

At that time we could fire her because the laws here have a three month "probation period" where you can fire someone with jusr 24hrs notice. Those laws have since been changed by Mr Howard.

Howard's a dick!

The old 3-month probation is something I lived with in my early days of seeking employment - as did most people. If you did OK at the job and got on with the other staff, you kept the job - no worries. If for some reason you failed in that, you were down the road and usually rightly so.

If the boss was a wanker, you could opt not to accept the full time job as well.

I was dismissed under the 3-month probation rules: processing film, failed to be able to process 100 per hour (couldn't get above 80/hour), was keeping up with the incoming films but they had this magical number you had to be able to do in case it got really busy. I failed to reach it, they let me go. Fair enough. The boss was worried I'd pack a wobbler and sabotage things like the last guy they let go (for a lot more heinous reasons than failing to reach 100 films/hour) but I assured him I'd work out my notice with no problems (rather than taking the offered pay in lieu of notice) so they could get someone new fully trained up.

Sure, it may have been abused by some bosses wanting to ditch someone for petty reasons but honestly, who the fuck wants to work for a boss who would ditch you based on feeble excuses? Better off being "ditched" and find a better job with a better employer.

Like the "anti discrimination" laws we have to stop employers discriminating based on age, race, sex, sexuality etc - WTF? If they don't want to hire a 50-year-old negro lesbian they'll just come up with some other excuse and the onus is upon the employee to prove that the motivation was discriminatory. Unless the employer is stupid enough to say "we don't want no ancient lesbo niggers around here", they haven't got a show.

And if the could prove discrimination, what then? Force the boss to hire them? Who wants to work for an employer who thinks you're a fossilized black dyke? Really.

Employment law was much more honest back in the day - you knew you had to perform (at least for three months and then you could slack around all you liked) or you didn't get the job and if you encountered someone who was --ist against whatever you were you had a grumble to yourself and then realised you wouldn't want to work for the small-minded wanker anyway.

I'm pretty sure I didn't get a job because I wasn't Indian enough for the potential employer but he was smart enough to lie and I have no way of proving anything - would I want to work for him if I could prove unfair treatment? Nope.

**mstriumph** · 12th October 2006, 12:36

good point, Wolf .......

there are far more people i WOULDN'T want to work for than i would .......

**dnos** · 12th October 2006, 12:40

finn,

next time you need to fire somebody go onto their computer while they are at lunch or in the loo or something and look at some kiddy porn. I'm sure you shouldn't have a problem firing the "offender" when that is discovered.

**The_Dover** · 12th October 2006, 12:41

Originally Posted by dnos

finn,

next time you need to fire somebody go onto their computer while they are at lunch or in the loo or something and look at some kiddy porn. I'm sure you shouldn't have a problem firing the "offender" when that is discovered.

and Finn even knows some good URL's..........