unfair dismissal Archives - MDC Legal

Apprentice unfairly dismissed for refusing to work overtime

Posted by | additional hours, Articles, HR Advice & Support, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Renae Harg, Senior Associate and Madeleine Brown, Associate

The Fair Work Commission has ordered an employer to pay eight weeks’ wages to an apprentice after it found that an employee was unfairly dismissed for refusing to work additional hours on a Sunday. This decision is a reminder for employers to carefully consider whether requests to work additional hours are reasonable.

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Contractor arrangements subject to continued scrutiny as Foodora rider found to be an employee

Posted by | Contracts, contractual entitlements, Doing Business in Australia, independent contractor, sub contractor, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Gemma Little, Lawyer 

In the recent decision of Joshua Klooger v Foodora Australia Pty Ltd [2018] FWC 6836, the Fair Work Commission held that a Foodora rider who was engaged as an independent contractor was in fact an employee and, therefore, eligible to bring an unfair dismissal claim.

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Employer unfairly dismissed employee due to wrong view on student visa

Posted by | Articles, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Mark Cox, Director and Madeleine Brown, Associate 

An employee who was suspended indefinitely without pay after her employer decided that she had breached the conditions of her visa was unfairly dismissed, according to the Fair Work Commission in Devi v Doutta Galla Aged Services Limited [2018] FWC 4142.

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Travel extends the mind but not limitation periods: Wragg v Queensland Scaffolding Pty Ltd [2018] FWC 4986

Posted by | Articles, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Madeleine Brown, Associate

The Fair Work Commission has refused an application for an extension of time to file an unfair dismissal application, following a detailed examination of a travelling employee’s social media activities and text messages which demonstrated that he was not incapacitated by depression and grief following his dismissal.

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Maximum term employees may be entitled to make unfair dismissal claims and be paid redundancy

Posted by | Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action | No Comments

By Mark Cox, Director and Lauren Wright, Lawyer

A maximum term contract is a contract which automatically ends at the expiry of a specified period while giving either party the right to terminate prior to the specified expiry by giving notice. This can be contrasted with a fixed term contract, which is also for a specified period but which does not make provision for early termination.

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What are your business’ New Year’s workplace relations resolutions?

Posted by | Articles, Contracts, Discrimination & Bullying, Dispute Resolution & Advocacy, HR Advice & Support, Industrial Relations, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel 

HRD Australia recently reported that the success rate of Australian employers in unfair dismissal cases has dropped below 40% for the first time – while these remain the claim of choice for employees, with an unfair dismissal claim lodged every three and a half minutes in Australia.1

We expect hot topics for workplaces will include managing poor performance and bullying and stress claims, avoiding award or NES breach claims (and the risk of huge new penalties) or discrimination claims.

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An interesting development in the Fair Work Commission’s Stop Bullying Jurisdiction

Posted by | Articles, Discrimination & Bullying, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action | No Comments

By Conor Fahey, Lawyer

In perhaps the most interesting development to date since the commencement of the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) anti-bullying powers, Commissioner Hampton, the Panel Head of the FWC’s anti-bullying jurisdiction, has issued an interim order to restrain an employer from dismissing an employee for alleged misconduct until the tribunal determines the employee’s anti-bullying application.

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