The FWC has upheld a cattle station's sacking of a director for serious misconduct, finding he paid himself unauthorised leave and failed to inform the elderly business owners of escalating legal fees of more than $1 million.
The FWC has in accepting a worker's late unfair dismissal application overlooked her failure to include her former employer in emails seeking numerous time extensions, finding it balanced by her willingness to "engage" with the Commission in pursuing the matter.
A bottle shop attendant told by her manager that she would not be able to work in a bar while pregnant because it was "a bad look" has been awarded almost $40,000 in compensation and penalties, a court finding there was "no doubt" the employer breached adverse action provisions.
An academic found to have been unlawfully dismissed by James Cook University over criticisms of prominent climate research has been awarded more than $1.2 million, the presiding judge excoriating the institution over its "egregious abuse of power" and public statements intended to "sow doubt" about his findings.
Two excavator operators who allegedly belittled trainees with "foul tirades" that left them so shaken one walked off the job have won compensation, the FWC finding their dismissal was procedurally unfair.
A senior FWC member has cautioned companies against sending dismissal decisions "up the line" without revealing the final signatory's name, observing such opacity could influence whether the process is found to be fair.
The FWC has upheld the dismissal of a BP technician who created and shared a Hitler parody video of the company's protracted bargaining with oil refinery workers, finding he depicted senior managers as Nazis and referenced details known only to those involved.
A "very bad" employer who used a website builder's alleged probationary period to sack her without warning must pay $20,000 in compensation, the WA IRC has found.
In a decision highlighting the FWC's occasionally challenging balancing act when weighing procedural fairness against business circumstances, the tribunal has found that while a small real estate employer failed to genuinely consult with an employee, his dismissal wasn't unfair because the company's changed operational requirements meant his role was no longer needed.
A self-represented adverse action applicant will be able to submit an amended statement of claim following a full Federal Court finding that he was last year denied a fair hearing by an "aggressive, rude and overbearing" judge.
