LTA Driving Examiner employment and owning driving school is clear conflict of interest

The Land Transport Authority has welcomed the Employment Relations Court judgement which has made it clear that owning a driving school and being employed by the LTA as a Driving Examiner is a clear conflict of interest.

This was in relation to a case of an unlawful and unfair dismissal filed by an applicant Rajesh Narayan for not being hired to the position of Driving Examiner in 2018 by the LTA.

LTA CEO, Samuel Simpson says Narayan was operating a driving school business at the time he applied for the position of Driving Examiner with the LTA. After being shortlisted the applicant was oferred the post but had not made a conflict of interest declaration. On discovery of this “conflict of interest” the Authority withdrew the offer of employment immediately.

Simpson says the applicant brought a challenge to the Employment Relations Court.

He says the judgement by the Employment Relations Court is highly respected and is clearly the correct outcome because the court has recognised that having a driving school and being employed by LTA as a driving examiner is a clear conflict of interest.

Simpson says the Authority is an equal opportunities employer and rigidly adopts the principal and policy of open merit in all of it’s recruitment processes.