Workplace policy page 14 of 80

Some Australian universities have engaged in "passive resistance" when questioned over employee underpayments and record-keeping, according to Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker.

As Telstra next week prepares to defend a Federal Court class action on behalf of employees who refused to comply with its COVID-19 vaccination policy, the FWC has held that it met consultation requirements and "bent over backwards" to ensure fairness before sacking a worker with a moral objection to being jabbed.

A manager's email to a client suggesting a listed company might be overcharging almost $70,000 a month constituted a valid dismissal reason, as did sending a confidential document to a former employee even though it was discovered post-sacking, the FWC has held.

A FWC full bench has dismissed an "unusual" unfair dismissal jurisdictional appeal, finding that a worker who took a pay cut due to his employer's financial struggles fell below the high income cap despite the company arguing that the Commission's compensation order proved his pay exceeded the threshold.

An employer must pay more than $50,000 to compensate a supervisor it victimised by forcing her to take leave and change roles after she complained that a male colleague sexually-harassed her when he stared at her breasts.

The Federal Court will consider whether to fine BHP Coal and order compensation after finding it took unlawful adverse action by excluding a Workpac labour hire worker because he exercised his workplace rights, including by complaining about allegedly unsafe practices.

An Albanese Government senator has described Amazon's reliance on labour hire workers and independent contractors as the "wild west," and challenged the company's aspiration to be the "best employer on the planet", in a hearing this week.

The Federal Court will this morning hear a bid by Teal MP Monique Ryan's chief of staff to keep her job until it finishes dealing with her claims that the Federal Government sacked her for refusing to work unreasonable extra hours and subjected her to "hostile conduct".

A flight attendant sacked from a Sydney billionaire's private jet for refusing to change hotels before a flight from LA has won compensation, after the FWC found the employer wrongly applied pilots' rest rules and subjected her to an unreasonable order given the time it took her to shop for food for passengers and crew on the long-haul flight.

The Law Reform Commission is seeking feedback on its proposal to tighten protections from discrimination by religious schools against teachers and other workers, but with revised exemptions to permit them to engage those who support their ethos.