WRC declines substantive recommendation on worker’s dismissal dispute

The WRC declined to make a substantive recommendation on a worker’s dismissal dispute after finding she referred it while still employed and had not first used internal procedures. The decision was dated 10 March 2026. The worker, employed in a kitchen management role, raised concerns about training, staffing, working conditions and management practices, and considered her termination unfair. The employer said the termination followed changing business needs and that she remained employed and paid through 23 July 2025. The WRC found that the worker referred the dispute on 8 July 2025, before her employment ended, and had not pursued her workplace concerns through internal grievance procedures. It considered the referral a premature escalation and said it was not appropriate to intervene with a substantive recommendation.