According to a recent case of Ms Anita Cachia v Scobel Pty Ltd (2018) FWC 2648, the Fair Work Commission confirmed that employees should only be dismissed by phone, text or email in “rare circumstances”.
Tag: Fair Work Commission
#TimesUp on inappropriate workplace behaviours
The Fair Work Commission is showing little tolerance for inappropriate workplace behaviour in the #metoo era. A number of Unfair Dismissal decisions before the Fair Work Commission this year reflect that the #metoo movement is gaining traction in Australia, with employers beginning to adopt a much higher standard of what is appropriate in the workplace, and…
Managing workplace relationships: What we can learn from Barnaby Joyce
Everyone’s favourite Kiwi/Australian politician Barnaby Joyce has been in the spotlight again recently due to his upcoming interview with his partner Vikki Campion on Channel Seven’s Sunday Night program. From an employment law perspective (we always see things from an employment law perspective), it has again brought to light the topic of workplace relationships. No…
Is the word “bullying” being overused in the workplace?
There is no doubt that workplace bullying can be a serious matter for employees and employers. It can lead to higher rates of depression and anxiety for employees as well as physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease, migraines and obesity. Bullying in the workplace also has detrimental effects for employers as it can lead…
Junior pay rates in modern awards: Are young people being ripped off?
A “fair go all around” has long been an underlying principle in the Australian industrial relations system. However, under many modern awards, employees aged between 15 and 20 years receive only a portion of the full adult wage despite often undertaking the same work as an adult. For those junior workers who do not fall…
The Sydney Rail Strike – why the Fair Work Commission had no choice.
As an industrial lawyer, it was probably a mistake logging onto social media on Thursday, in the aftermath of the Fair Work Commission’s order in relation to the RTBU strike proposed on the Sydney rail network. Social media in the modern political era is rarely a place for nuanced, informed or intelligent discussion. Rather, it…