Toyota manager who was wrongly sacked after buying a $32.50 pizza with a company card and giving a slice to his son is awarded $276,000 payout

Former Toyota service management training manager Greg Sherry was awarded payout

A former Toyota manager has been awarded $276,000 after he was wrongfully sacked over a work trip where he used company money to buy a pizza.

Greg Sherry, worked for the car company for 20 years before he was fired in March 2018 - days before he would have been entitled to $379,268 in redundancy pay.

Toyota fired Mr Sherry after claiming he breached company expense rules amounting to 'serious misconduct' when his wife and two young sons went on the trip - even though they paid for themselves.

Mr Sherry had received approval from his manager to bring his family on his last work trip - buying his airfare through the company's e-travel system and his wife and children's tickets on a personal credit card.


But Toyota claimed that he incurred $1,542 in unnecessary accommodation expenses by booking a larger hotel room than was needed and also bought a meal with company funds which his son also ate, reports The Australian.

He argued the room at Melbourne's Crown Metropol was more expensive because his travel coincided with the Australian Open.

On the final night of the trip, Mr Sherry went out for a meal. He used his corporate card to buy himself a pizza and a drink for $32.50.

His wife used their personal card to buy her and the children food for $50.50.

But near the end of the meal, once Mr Sherry had had enough of his food, his young son ate a slice of leftover pizza, he said.

The group left Melbourne the next day but Mr Sherry was quizzed by his bosses.

He told his manager he only used company funds for his pizza but admitted: 'I think my son had some of it'. 

Toyota's HQ in Port Melbourne (pictured) where Sydney-based Mr Sherry went on regular business trips for his role with the company

Mr Sherry was fired for in part giving his son a slice of pizza he wasn't going to eat from his company bought meal

According to documents filed at the District Court of NSW, he claimed the manager then said: 'So you bought a meal for your son? That's a personal expense.'

He claimed to have replied: 'He had a piece of my pizza I wasn't going to eat. I'm not sure you would call that a personal expense.'

Toyota claims in the court documents that Mr Sherry had stayed an extra night for 'personal purposes' - but he says it is normal for him to stay the night after work trips.

Toyota also alleged Mr Sherry bought a $180 dongle for personal use with the corporate card - but he says it was for work use.

New South Wales District Court judge Andrew Scotting said he was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Mr Sherry's actions were not serious misconduct.

In awarding him the $276,000 he said his record with Toyota showed a person of good character who has not given an oppourtunity to fairly argue his case.