Darryl Ellis' cafe has been ordered to pay more than $18,000 to a former employee.

A cafe in the Wellington village of Pauatahanui fired a worker for taking approved annual leave, and now has to pay out more than $18,000 for an unjustified dismissal.

Victoria Clapham started working at Groundup Cafe in July 2016.

A year into her job, Clapham applied for three weeks annual leave, which she said had been verbally approved by her manager and the director of the business Darryl Ellis.

But upon her return, Clapham found out she had been suspended without reason and oral evidence to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) found Ellis said he "wanted her out of the workplace".

READ MORE:

* McDonald's accused of not paying staff correct holiday pay or lieu days

* Worker who travelled to America's Cup in Bermuda has to pay employer $5000

* Pak 'n Save Porirua staffer fired for swearing is awarded $12,700

In June 2017, Clapham applied for three weeks annual leave between August and September of that year.

She said there was no formal procedure for applying for leave and Ellis had approved her leave.

Ellis denied this. He said Clapham had put a note on the roster saying she was going to Hawaii only two weeks before the leave was due to commence.

JARED NICOLL/STUFF The Pauatahanui Inlet in Porirua.

When Clapham returned from her three-week break on September 15, she worked one shift on September 20 and was told her next one would be on Sunday September 24.

But a day before her Sunday shift, she received a text from her manager, telling her not to come in. When she asked for the following week's roster she received no response.

Clapham then sent Ellis a text the same day about her hours, but Ellis's response was that she had been suspended until further notice.

She asked why, and Ellis said the matter would be discussed in a meeting.

About 10 days later, Clapham followed up on her wages.

A day later on October 5, Ellis replied with: "I don't require you working for me again, as per your suggestion and offer."

Clapham asked if and why she was being fired but Ellis responded with: "You're not fired you are suspended."

When she asked for a reason for her suspension, Ellis said he had accepted her resignation.

"No, you offered me your resignation if I wanted it, I accept your offer," Ellis reportedly said.

About a week later Ellis told Clapham her employment had ended.

The ERA said Ellis failed to provide a "convincing" explanation for suspending Clapham.

Ellis also acknowledged in oral evidence he had suspended Clapham without following any process, and had "wanted her out of the workplace".

The authority found Groundup Cafe did not act as a fair and reasonable employer should have in Clapham's suspension.

Ellis' text messages to Clapham indicated on two occasions that she had offered to resign.

However, the authority said if an offer to resign had indeed be made by Clapham it was a conditional one, being dependent on the outcome of her leave application. By approving her leave he had rejected her offer, it found.

Groundup has been ordered to pay Clapham $12,000 in compensation for humiliation, $4222 in lost wages during her suspension and dismissal, and about $2250 in legal costs.