A former top bank executive who purportedly resisted efforts to involve him in a management buy-out of a prominent property business is now chasing substantial compensation through the courts, claiming he was summarily dismissed for alleged misconduct just days after making his case for exit payments.
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.
In a significant decision on the nature of work, the FWC has ruled that employees required to attend a worksite assembly point by a prescribed time before being transported to a pre-start meeting should be paid for the intervening period.
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.
An HR manager is accusing an electric vehicle tech start-up of making her redundant in retaliation for complaints about possible award breaches and her objection to hiring the general manager's daughter as her assistant.
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 Federal Court has upheld a lawyer's dismissal after he strongly criticised clients of his firm in a newspaper opinion piece, the judge finding his contract "expressly" stipulated both parties could terminate the relationship without cause on three months' notice.
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.
RAFFWU has warned Kmart that it should back pay workers tens of millions of dollars in minimum award entitlements or risk a bid to terminate its expired deal, after the FWC rejected its latest agreement over a BOOT failure and an "intentional" exclusion during voting.
