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WYSIWYG News
March 18 1995
Christchurch Crèche workers win $1 million compensation
Brian Harmer, Editor
A labour court today (Friday) awarded the childcare workers who
were sacked when the city creche was abruptly closed, a total of more than $1
million.
The judge implied in his findings that the whole molestation scenario was
suspect to begin with, and that the City, in failing to be loyal to its
staff, branded them as molesters.
Supervisor Gay Davison was awarded the largest share at $170,000. $30,000 was
compensation for loss of her career, and the rest was lost wages for the
period since the closure. Ms Davison is delighted by the findings, but says
that no amount of money clears her name, and neither she nor any of her
colleagues can ever work in child care again. No one could ever go back to a
career in child care.
The women have pledged to continue support for their jailed colleague, Peter
Ellis who was convicted of child molestation.
A Victoria University academic, Mike Hill (no relation to the
jeweller) says a public enquiry is necessary. He believes that the whole
scandal was a case of moral panic brought to NZ by a number of American
"counsellors" in response to a wave of alleged "Satanic Ritual
child abuses" in the US.
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