A former Hamilton City Council employee who accused the council of carrying out “sham investigations” and bullying staff on Facebook has lost a court challenge over posts that breached a confidential employment settlement.
In an Employment Court judgment released on Wednesday, Allan Halse was ordered to pay a $9000 penalty after the court upheld findings he breached confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses in a 2014 settlement agreement with the council.
Judge J C Holden found Halse published 13 Facebook posts between December 2020 and January 2021 through employment advocacy company CultureSafe NZ Ltd, with the resulting breaches being “repeated and deliberately disparaging”.
“They were serious,” the judge said.
The court heard Halse worked for the council from 2008 until his employment ended in early 2014, when the parties reached a mediated settlement through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
