The FWC has found a law firm's lack of competence and "grossly unprofessional" conduct primarily to blame for the late unfair dismissal claim of a worker who breached a vaccine mandate, but it has refused to grant a one-day extension due to her role in the delay.
The FWC has upheld, despite some procedural failings, the ACTU's dismissal of a call centre employee over Facebook posts that "cheered on" an anti-vaccine mandate campaign, applauded aggression against police, mocked domestic violence, disparaged black people and vilified transgender people.
A worker who unsuccessfully sought to take long service leave after Bulla Dairy Foods rejected medical exemption evidence from a since-suspended doctor has failed to establish it unfairly sacked him for breaching a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The FWC has thrown out an unfair dismissal case brought by a law student sacked from a full-time job as a legal assistant for failing to get a COVID-19 jab, finding she did not complete the required minimum employment term after taking time off to sit exams.
In a significant ruling on dismissals deemed harsh by the FWC, a full bench has endorsed the "unorthodox" approach taken by a member who ordered the reinstatement of a forklift driver who breached an employer's "no mobile phones" policy.
An employer unfairly sacked a labourer for running over a pet galah, the FWC has held, rejecting claims that he breached a formal directive not to operate vehicles when Crackers was on the ground.
A large employer has failed to win costs against a law firm it accused of burying "their heads in the sand" over the integrity of a client whose claims of mistakenly altering the expiry date on a key qualification fell apart under scrutiny by the FWC.
The FWC has upheld the sacking of an AFP employee who refused to meet with its "trojan horse" organisational health team while resisting a return to the office.