In a significant decision on out-of-hours conduct, the FWC has ruled that ALDI justifiably dismissed a storeperson for throwing a full beer glass over the heads of colleagues at an official company Christmas party.
Unions will next week consider pushing for stronger remedies for unfair dismissal by adopting measures such as removing the $73,000 compensation limit, enabling employees to pursue more than their lost income and empowering them to seek penalties against employers.
The FWC has praised Australia Post subsidiary Startrack Express for its flawless process in dismissing an employee who "crossed a line" from tolerable crudity to unacceptable racism in his remarks to colleagues.
A court has imposed a $71,000 costs order on an HR manager who took a "scattergun" approach to challenging her dismissal, but has stopped short of imposing a similar order on her high-profile Sydney barrister, despite criticising his role in the case.
In a significant decision on entry rights, a Federal Court full bench has confirmed today that a permit holder's right to hold discussions with union members or potential members during "breaks" does not include the period before and after their shifts.
Dismissing an employee for providing false and misleading information during the recruitment process was not unfair, despite procedural failings by his employer, a tribunal has ruled.
The FWC has slammed the door on a union's persistent efforts to get around coverage issues by installing an "independent" bargaining representative to conduct negotiations on behalf of Linfox tanker drivers, finding it "fanciful" to suggest he was simply acting in a private capacity.
The FWC has rejected a dismissed employee's contention that a company's duty of care extended to anticipating that he would act in a violent and threatening manner towards a co-worker.
Two landmark class actions allege that a BHP Billiton subsidiary induced two labour hire companies to unlawfully engage hundreds of coal mineworkers as casuals and pay them less than the industry award.
A major private hospital justifiably dismissed a 47-year-old employee for sending an Instagram post "of a s-xual nature" to a young graduate nurse he barely knew, the FWC has found.
