A wholefood store that summarily dismissed a chef after a three-day absence for cancer treatment has failed to establish that he abandoned his employment, the FWC slamming its "extraordinarily heartless disregard".
In a penalty decision ordering the local arm of a global conglomerate to pay a further $20,000 to a supervisor unlawfully sacked by an HR manager within her probationary period, a court has cited the company's failure to find out more about the contravening conduct and whether it needed to minimise the risk of it reoccurring.
The Commonwealth Bank has denied bullying and retrenching a former general manager for revealing a scheme allowing colleagues to artificially boost bonuses, claiming also that his actions did not qualify for whistleblower protections and that he cannot pursue his claim under the terms of his deed of release.
A University of Sydney lecturer sacked after superimposing a swastika on an Israeli flag in teaching materials and social media posts is relying on political opinion protections in the Fair Work Act and academic freedom clauses, claiming he was really dismissed for challenging his treatment.
A former Esso union delegate who was found to be unfairly dismissed for calling a co-worker a "f___ing scab" has failed to convince an FWC Full Bench that he should be reinstated.
The Federal Court has resuscitated a worker's long-running adverse action claim, accepting that a 2014 settlement agreement with her employer might have been based on incorrect advice she was given by an FWC member.
A tribunal has ordered a health service to reinstate the chair of its credentialing committee dismissed for his role in appointing to an obstetrics job a recovering alcoholic suspected of falling off the wagon at work, rejecting as "absolute codswallop" its claim that the chair now poses a danger to the public.
An Aboriginal night patrol officer sacked for timesheet discrepancies has won back his council role after an FWC member took into account "very strong" ties to his remote community and the dearth of alternative employment opportunities.
An academic has welcomed a significant FWC full bench finding that a worker's refusal to participate in fingerprint scanning did not justify his dismissal and warns that many employers lack awareness of their legal obligations and the potential consequences of biometric technology.