THE permanent secretary for Education has been ordered to pay the ministry’s former human resources officer a total of $100,547.41 for the unlawful termination of his employment.
Valenivalu Buadromo initiated a civil action against the ministry seeking a declaration that the termination of his employment contract was unfair and unlawful.
Mr Buadromo had worked as a clerical officer since 2011 before being promoted to the role of HRO in 2019, with a six-month probationary period.
Following his promotion, Mr Buadromo encountered several challenges, leading to three employer performance meetings (EPMs) to address the issues.
He felt he was being ‘sabotaged’ and ‘offloaded’ with work from others.
His last EPM raised issues relating to his work and the accuracy of reports he’d prepared, in which certain directions were given, such as paying more attention to details, double-checking, and requesting clarification when required.
In his ruling on July 18, Justice Deepthi Amaratunga said the officer did not require a probation period due to his competency and experience in the Civil Service, but also that it was unlawful to insist on a probation period of six months in the employment contract as HRO.
He also ordered that the cost of the action be summarily assessed at $3000 to be paid within 21 days.
