A veteran musician accusing Opera Australia of using the pandemic as an excuse to weed out union activists was selected for redundancy after a panel of "experienced employees" ranked him below its orchestra's two other oboe players, according to the company's Federal Circuit Court response.
The FWC has lambasted an employer over the "unconscionable" sacking of a casual who said he was just joking about making a workers' compensation claim after a COVID-19 related standdown, ordering compensation equal to 24 weeks of JobKeeper.
A presidential member denied an unfair dismissal applicant a fair hearing when he threw out his case for want of prosecution without a formal request from the employer, a FWC full bench has ruled.
A veteran garbo has lost his right to a $70,000 accrued personal leave payout after the NSW IRC upheld his sacking for riding on the back of a garbage truck, finding he held a cavalier attitude and lacked insight, despite expressions of regret.
The FWC has rejected a long-serving worker's portrayal of herself as a "victim" of powerful HR forces, finding her displeasure at being asked to account for money raised for a deceased colleague's family led her into serious misconduct.
The FWC has reinforced the importance of following safety guidelines to the letter in upholding the dismissal of a scaffolder whose sore hands proved to be the result of hepatitis rather than a head "bang" he took more than a week to report.
A bank worker accused of searching ANZ's database for accounts held by a celebrity, family members and numerous others has failed to convince the FWC her sacking was unfair.
In throwing out a constructive dismissal claim, the FWC has rejected a former Westpac employee's allegation that a "complicit" bank executive undermined the legitimacy of an investigation that exposed "kickbacks" she received for referring customers to an external broker.
The FWC has upbraided construction company Hansen Yuncken for its "callous" and unfair sacking of a "naïve" trainee who nonetheless provided it with a valid reason by insisting on indefinite unpaid leave to avoid lengthy public transport commutes during COVID-19.