Case law page 2 of 55

550 articles are classified in All Articles > General protections and adverse action > Case law


FWO secures $75K AA penalty against sandstone university

A court has accepted that Melbourne University threatened two casual workers that "if you claim outside your contracted hours don't expect work next year" and when one worker tried to claim five additional hours it refused to further engage her, calling her a "self-entitled Y-genner" on a "crusade behind the scenes".

Little room for "entrepreneurship" makes worker an employee: FWC

In a decision sure to catch the eye of service providers using rostering apps to keep workers at arm's length, the FWC has found that a home care worker who signed two documents describing her as an independent contractor is in fact an employee capable of suing her employer for unlawful dismissal.

Sacked Qantas workers face delay for compensation

Former Qantas ground crew seeking compensation for their unlawful sacking in 2020 will have to wait at least two more months after parties presented the trial judge with competing views about the cohort's continuing employment prospects.

IR agent's representation to be determined en masse

The FWC bench appointed to scrutinise a paid agent's future involvement in adverse action and unfair dismissal cases has asked a first tranche of 46 applicants to explain why they need to be represented by a firm recently described as having engaged in "unethical" practices.

"Insensitive", profane manager loses adverse action case

A European expatriate who regularly swore at his Australian subordinates in an apparent attempt to spur them to achieve work standards expected in his homeland has lost his adverse action case against his former employer, after a court ruled his behaviour warranted summary dismissal.


Qantas, TWU outline compensation case battlefronts

Qantas wants to pay "significantly reduced" compensation to about 1700 ground crew whose jobs it unlawfully outsourced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Court has heard.

Underwhelming settlement offers torpedo costs bid

An employer has failed to win costs against a former sales representative who rejected five increasing settlement offers before losing her adverse action case, a judge observing that there was "nothing especially alluring" about any of the offers.

"Opaque" termination letter unhelpful: FWC

The FWC has extended time for a TAFE worker to challenge his sacking after accepting that he might have misinterpreted the employer's "wrongheaded" language and taken it to mean it took effect on the date it announced the result of a review of its decision.

No fast lane for Lattouf's unlawful dismissal case

Media host and writer Antoinette Lattouf has failed to have the ABC's jurisdictional objections to her unlawful dismissal case referred directly to a FWC full bench, despite arguing that she will appeal an unfavourable finding and that she "anticipates" that the broadcaster will do the same.