A Woolworths shopping trolley subcontractor must compensate a volunteer firefighter whose alleged unreliability contributed to his sacking via text message, after which the employer blocked his number.
New data from the FWC has confirmed the workplace upheaval being wrought by COVID-19, with a leap in unfair dismissal applications, stand-down disputes and agreement variations in pursuit of a wage freeze or deferral.
The FWO's pursuit of penalties over a crew's "sit-in" on a decommissioned trading vessel has been potentially scuppered by a Federal Court finding that they were not covered by an agreement at the time.
The Reserve Bank must reinstate a senior network engineer who accidentally posted to a WhatsApp workplace group a racist message meant for his wife, the FWC finding its procedural failings despite HR expertise to be "simply inexplicable".
The FWC has upheld the sacking of a truck salesperson whose loud swearing was overheard by customers while already on a final warning for saying there would be "bloodshed everywhere" if his employer did not resolve his issues.
A 70-year-old childcare worker has been reinstated after a finding that she was forced to resign in the face of her the employer's "callous" direction to relocate to a distant workplace and accept a role change that involved changing nappies.
A transgender senior law lecturer who claims his employer told him it was making him redundant due to COVID-19 is suing for alleged unlawful adverse action, sham redundancy and sex discrimination.
A teacher claiming bullying "on a shocking scale" can proceed with his adverse action case after a full Federal Court found the lower court judge who dismissed the matter over mental health concerns failed to properly consider whether to appoint a litigation guardian.
The Federal Court has rejected a disbarred lawyer's attempt to sideline a senior FWC member and the tribunal itself from hearing his unfair dismissal case, while also declining to grant "extreme" orders preventing a law firm from participating in the court proceedings.