theSun FRIDAY AUGUST 8 2008
Ex-journalist awarded RM71,OOO for wrongful dismissal
by Opalyn Mok newsdesk@thesundaily.com
.GEORGE TOWN: A former journalist with Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd has been awarded RM71,128 in back wages and exemplary damages by the Industrial Court here for wrongful dismissal.
In a 52-page written judgment dated July 31, Industrial Court chairman Mohd Amin Firdaus Abdullah also ordered the company to reinstate Norzahizan Ismail to her original position within 60·days from the date of the award.
Norzahizan, 51, who was excited that she will be reinstated to her former position, said the judgment in her favour is a good lesson to all companies to investigate both sides in such cases.
"I did not do any wrong and I wanted to prove my innocence in this case," she said yesterday.
She said some people had asked her why she wanted to go back when she's making good money now as a corporate communications manager with a college in Kepala Batas.
"I feel this'is not a matter of money. Due to my
unfair dismissal, I was demoralised and depressed that I lost my job when I was a good journalist:
"Thank God the truth is out now and justice is served," she said .
In the written judgment, the Industrial court found that Norzahizan's dismissal was not based on just cause or excuse.
"The company had failed to prove the three charges it had brought against the claimant and the charges were brought in bad faith against her," Mohd Amin said in his judgment.
The company had dismissed Norzahizan based on three charges against her: that she had failed to follow orders in covering an event where she allegedly only wrote a caption story instead of writing a full coverage on March 15,2004; that she did not write any article after attending a press conference on March 17,2004; and that she did not complete follow-up health articles she was assigned to do in January 2004.
"The claimant had at all material time obeyed the instructions given to her and did not defy them, so the question of insubordination does not arise," Mohd Amin said.
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