Labour Court upholds recommendation in Stryker worker’s bullying investigation dispute

The Labour Court upheld an Adjudication Officer’s recommendation in a dispute between Stryker Orthopaedic and a worker represented by the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union. In a decision dated 20 May 2019, it rejected the worker’s appeal over the handling of an investigation under the company’s Dignity at Work Policy. The worker argued that the investigation was fundamentally flawed because several witnesses he identified were not interviewed. Stryker said it appointed an independent external investigator, followed its procedure and explained during the appeal why some witnesses had not been interviewed. The Court found the company’s procedures had been followed and the concerns about witnesses were addressed in the appeal outcome. The worker’s claim failed.