A 30-year veteran of the Girl Guiding organisation has been awarded $33,500 by the Employment Relations Authority.
Pamela Galbraith, the former Christchurch programme manager for Girl Guiding, had been unfairly dismissed, it ruled.
Galbraith, who had been involved as a volunteer and staff member, was made redundant on May 15, 2009.
In his decision, authority member James Crichton said Galbraith returned to her job after two months annual holidays and was given a letter informing her that restructuring was under way and her position might be affected. A week later, Galbraith received another letter stating her position would be axed. A meeting four days later, where Galbraith responded to the letter, failed to change the decision.
Crichton said Girl Guiding failed to provide Galbraith with adequate information on why she was being made redundant, stopping her making viable suggestions about an alternative strategy.
He ordered the organisation to pay Galbraith $17,500 in lost wages and $16,000 in compensation.
Galbraith told The Press yesterday she was pleased with the authority decision.
"I was pleased with the outcome and really, if I hadn't felt I'd been treated unfairly, I wouldn't have taken the action in the first place," she said.
Girl Guiding chief executive Ruth Teasdale said it was disappointing the matter had gone to the authority.
The redundancy situation had been forced on the organisation and it believed it had acted appropriately.
Teasdale said the organisation would not rule out an appeal to the Employment Court.
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