“The economy drop of 35% has destroyed my companies,” he said.
“I’m just a victim of a drop in the market.”
Longevity and the case of Diederik van Heerden
Diederik took his case for unjustifiable dismissal to the ERA in 2024.
He initially worked as an independent contractor in 2021 but became an employee in May 2023 as a construction operations manager. But in January 2024, he was called to a meeting and told he was being made redundant as the renovation side of the business had closed.
He never received pay for work he completed in February 2024, which authority member Rachel Larmer said was Longevity acting in an “unlawful manner”.
Longevity was ordered to pay van Heerden $206,138.47, consisting of $166,153.85 in lost…