The FWC has awarded $8000 compensation to an airport employee who transferred sensitive files from his work computer onto a personal USB, finding the employer took a "kitchen sink" approach to allegations used to justify his summary dismissal.
In a warning about the myriad ways disciplinary investigations can go wrong, the FWC has rejected virtually every finding a large government agency relied on to sack an experienced rail employee who described his dismissal meeting as a "Pearl Harbour" moment.
An FWC senior member who considered a bus driver's submissions on procedural fairness to be "unduly pernickety" wrongly found he was properly notified and had a chance to respond, but a full bench has upheld his sacking.
After the FWC reinstated one of two truck driver TWU delegates involved in a punch-up, it has now upheld Toll's dismissal of the second driver because he lied during its investigation – a reason not relied on by the employer.
The NTEU is seeking to strengthen academic freedom clauses to protect university staff from "cancel culture" after a court found no legally enforceable right in measures relied on by sacked Sydney University lecturer Tim Anderson.
A senior FWC member has found it arguable a childcare worker unreasonably refused a lawful direction when she declined a mandatory flu vaccination, in a decision rejecting her bid for a one-day extension of time for her unfair dismissal claim.
The FWC has warned employers against using Facebook Messenger to communicate with employees, in a ruling on the sacking of a casual who refused to work her JobKeeper hours.
The FWC has ordered Toll Transport to reinstate one of two TWU delegates who fought each other after a union meeting, finding their punch-up over yard deals while on paid delegates leave did not have a sufficient connection to their work.
The FWC has ordered a labour hire company to reinstate a worker to his former job at Carlton United Breweries, despite summarily sacking him over a safety incident after the client demanded his permanent removal.
