A new UK bill introduced by the Starmer Labour Government seeks to reduce the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from two years to an employee's first day of work, although employers will potentially have an initial nine months in which to sack those "not right for the job".
The FWC has pointed to a worker's knowledge of the 21-day deadline for filing general protections claims in declining to allow his late application to proceed, despite finding that responsibility for the delay rested "overwhelmingly" with his lawyers.
The FWC has refused to hear a BP worker's three-day late challenge to her sacking after she revealed she ignored a clear direction not to record the disciplinary meeting at which the employer summarily sacked her.
A transport company is to be referred to the FWO over its "alarming" indifference to its obligations as an employer, after an unfair dismissal case in which it exhibited "disregard" for the FWC before being ordered to pay $30,000 to a former worker sacked without warning.
A FWC employee should have consulted a Commission member before providing incorrect advice that resulted in a worker filing his general protections claim a month late, the tribunal has found.
An accounts manager seeking a month-long extension to lodge an unfair dismissal claim after initially filing a blank form has failed to convince the FWC it was exceptional that she missed the FWC's replies as they landed in her junk mail.
A young worker who is accusing her boss of leaving her no choice but to resign when he physically assaulted her has won extra time to pursue a late unfair dismissal claim, with the FWC accepting that mental health ramifications contributed to the delay.
In a decision closely considering when homelessness can provide the "exceptional circumstances" necessary to warrant extending time, the FWC has agreed to hear a one-day late claim after hearing the applicant spent a fortnight after his dismissal sleeping in his car.
The FWC has extended time for an 11-days-late unfair dismissal claim, after finding the HR professional representing her incorrectly advised her to send a letter of demand to the employer in the interests of "procedural fairness", leading to her missing the 21-day deadline.
