10 March 2022 Volume 9/22 with selected Decision Summaries for the week ending Friday, 4 March 2022.
Decisions of the Fair Work Commission
Other Fair Work Commission decisions of note
Fair Work Commission Addresses
The summaries of decisions contained in this Bulletin are not a substitute for the published reasons for the Commission's decisions nor are they to be used in any later consideration of the Commission's reasons.
Summaries of selected decisions signed and filed during the week ending Friday, 4 March 2022.
1 |
CASE PROCEDURES – costs – no reasonable prospects of success – ss.394, 404, 587 Fair Work Act 2009 – a Servicing Theatre Supply Officer (employee) was dismissed by his employer (a hospital), on 30 October 2021 after he failed to get the COVID-19 vaccine or provide an exemption – employee made unfair dismissal application to the Commission – hospital made interlocutory application for the unfair dismissal application to be dismissed under s.587 of the FW Act because it had no reasonable prospects of success – in the alternative the hospital applied for an order under s.404 of the FW Act and r.55 of the Fair Work Commission Rules 2013 that the employee lodge security of $40,000 for the payment of costs because employee's claims had no or low prospects of success and hospital will incur future costs defending its position – Commission made provisional assessment that employee's case not strong, however the hospital's submissions did not meet the high jurisdictional threshold required for a case to be struck out under s.587(1)(c) – Commission's reasons included that there appear to be factual matters in dispute that may bear on substantive or procedural fairness; while it appears the hospital's argument that a valid reason for dismissal existed has force, claims regarding the availability of alternative duties have not been tested; and consideration needs to be given to whether employee's dismissal satisfied procedural fairness requirements – Commission considered Hansen v Calvary Health Care Adelaide Limited, Merribee Pastoral v ANZ Banking Group, Zornada v St John Ambulance Australia (Western Australia) Inc – Commission not satisfied that the justice of the matter required an order for the security of costs – Commission dismissed hospital's applications to dismiss the unfair dismissal claim and for a security for costs order – Commission will list unfair dismissal application for directions. | |||
Sharif v Calvary Health Care Adelaide Ltd | ||||
U2021/10666 |
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Anderson DP |
Adelaide |
4 March 2022 |
3 |
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT – remedy – reinstatement – s.394 Fair Work Act 2009 – applicants employed as Shift Managers at respondent's Fremantle Terminal – applicants directed to perform stevedoring work during a period where the respondent's stevedoring employees were undertaking protected industrial action – applicants stood down for their refusal to perform stevedoring work and subsequently dismissed – applicants contended the work was not contemplated by their contracts of employment, not included in position descriptions, and not work they had undertaken in the past in Shift Manager capacity – applicants further submitted that if the direction to work was lawful and reasonable, refusal to work was reasonable because to accede would undermine working relationships with stevedores following conclusion of industrial action and because they were not qualified to perform stevedoring work – applicants submitted that they were at all times ready and willing to perform the duties of Shift Managers – respondent submitted that the work applicants were directed to perform was incidental and alternative duties within the scope of their roles as managers – respondent submitted work was reasonable, necessary, and safe – Commission considered Mt Arthur – Commission considered position description required Shift Managers to supervise, manage, coordinate, and audit and did not include any incidental hands-on or manual labour – Commission considered stevedoring work not incidental to the role of Shift Manager – Commission found direction to perform stevedoring work not lawful or reasonable – found no valid reason for dismissal – found dismissal harsh, unfair, and unreasonable – Commission considered respondent's communication to applicants about work to be performed confusing and secretive and that respondent did not adequately address applicants' concerns about personal safety in context of strikebreaking – if direction reasonable, Commission found that dismissal would be harsh and unreasonable due to communication and safety issues – applicants sought reinstatement – respondent submitted applicants had failed to follow lawful and reasonable directions, could not be trusted not to abandon employment, and their loyalty appeared to be aligned with the MUA rather than the respondent – Commission considered all applicants were willing to perform Shift Manager duties at all relevant times – none of the applicants were dismissed for poor performance – Commission considered Perkins and Nguyen – found requisite trust and confidence could be restored – ordered applicants be reinstated with continuity of employment and back pay less any money earnt by each applicant in the intervening period. | |||
Burkhardt and Ors v Qube Ports P/L | ||||
U2021/9115 and Ors |
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Riordan C |
Sydney |
28 February 2022 |
4 |
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT – incapacity – inherent requirements – mandatory vaccination – s.394 Fair Work Act 2009 – application to deal with unfair dismissal – Victorian Chief Health Officer (VCHO) issued directions mandating COVID-19 vaccination for persons performing onsite mining work – applicant worked onsite at Yallourn Mine – respondent wrote to applicant on 4 October advising he could not work onsite unless vaccinated – applicant was unvaccinated – applicant's employment suspended without pay – applicant put on notice that employment may be terminated if he remained unvaccinated – respondent provided show cause letter to applicant on 10 October regarding his decision not to be vaccinated – show cause letter reiterated content of 4 October letter – applicant needed to: confirm by 15 October that he was partially or fully vaccinated, or make an appointment before 22 October for a vaccination, or provide a medical exemption – applicant responded on 14 October that he had booked a vaccination for 22 October – respondent confirmed that if applicant received the vaccination on 22 October he would be permitted to return to work – on 23 October applicant advised respondent he did not attend the vaccination appointment – respondent notified applicant on 25 October that his employment had been terminated with effect from 26 October – respondent submitted applicant was dismissed because he was unable to meet the inherent requirements of his role – not possible for applicant to perform role offsite – applicant submitted he should have been allowed time to research the benefits and risks of vaccination and to become comfortable with the idea of being vaccinated – Commission not persuaded by applicant's submission – Commission found applicant unable at the time of his dismissal to perform the inherent requirements of his role – found there was a valid reason for the dismissal related to applicant's capacity – no procedural defects in the dismissal process – dismissal not unfair – application dismissed. | |||
Hillenaar v RTL Mining and Earthworks P/L | ||||
U2021/10067 |
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Wilson C |
Melbourne |
4 March 2022 |
5 |
GENERAL PROTECTIONS – dismissal dispute – repudiation – mandatory vaccination – s.365 Fair Work Act 2009 – application to deal with contraventions involving dismissal – applicant employed as a Real Estate Sales Agent – between 11 and 14 October 2021 applicant and respondent engaged in discussions about COVID-19 health directives and performance of applicant's duties, including attending open homes and face-to-face-appraisals – on 19 October 2021, Victorian Government issued health directions that restricted the performance of work outside a person's home if the person was a real estate worker, unless the person was an 'excepted person' or had received their first vaccine dose by 22 October and their second by 26 November 2021 – on 22 October 2021 applicant contracted COVID-19 and was required to isolate – applicant subsequently informed respondent she had a vaccination exemption because her doctor had advised it was dangerous to receive the vaccine so soon after she had contracted COVID-19 – on 8 November respondent requested evidence of exemption and applicant refused to provide it – on 9 November 2021 respondent notified applicant of the termination of her employment, effective 16 November 2021, due to her 'inability to perform the inherent requirements of the role to work in Company premises in compliance with the Victorian Public Health Order' and because 'there is no other position the Company can offer you in the business or ability to provide you with useful work to perform from home' – respondent raised a jurisdictional objection that applicant not dismissed but rather repudiated her contract of employment by failing to get vaccinated and/or failing to provide proof of being exempt from vaccination requirement – respondent submitted that it accepted repudiation on 9 November 2021 – Commission considered Earney v Australian Property Investment Strategic P/L – Commission found communications between applicant and respondent on 8 and 9 November 2021 consistent with applicant being dismissed as a result of her not being able to meet the inherent requirements of her contract of employment, namely that she was unable to work outside her home and no alternative work was available – Commission noted the health directive does not require employees to be vaccinated but rather restricts the place that unvaccinated (and non-excepted) persons can perform work – Commission found that if it was true that applicant received medical advice that she could not be vaccinated so soon after a COVID-19 infection, then it appeared that the health directive would not have required applicant to be vaccinated to work outside her residence prior to cessation of her employment – Commission held that even if applicant was required to be vaccinated, applicant appeared to have become an 'excepted person' and thus as at 9 November 2021, her alleged repudiatory conduct had been cured – Commission found the health directive required employers to collect certain information but did not appear to require employees to provide medical evidence to support an assertion that they are an 'excepted person' – found that while it may have been open to respondent to give a 'direction' to applicant that she provide supporting evidence, respondent did not issue such a direction – Commission found applicant did not repudiate her contract of employment by not being vaccinated or by refusing to provide medical evidence to support her claimed 'excepted person' status – found employment ceased by way of a dismissal at initiative of respondent – jurisdictional objection dismissed. | |||
Cordiano v Love and Co Real Estate | ||||
C2021/8318 |
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Platt C |
Adelaide |
3 March 2022 |
Mathew | |||||||||||||||||
ANTI-BULLYING – constitutionally-covered business – s.789FC Fair Work Act 2009 – application for an order to stop bullying – respondent objected to application on 2 grounds, one being that applicant is not employed by constitutionally-covered business and therefore Commission has no jurisdiction to issue stop bullying order – applicant invited to provide response to respondent's views, no response received – respondent submitted that applicant was covered by agreement registered under Industrial Relations Act 1979 (WA) and that the respondent delivered health care services free of charge and did not engage in trading – any revenue raised by respondent was incidental to primary purpose – Commission satisfied that respondent excluded from definition of national system employer as they are established for a public purpose under state or territory law – considered test developed in Aboriginal Legal Service of WA Inc to determine if respondent was a corporation – Commission satisfied that respondent not engaged in trading and any revenue is incidentally generated – respondent not constitutionally-covered business – no reasonable prospects of success of an application for an order to stop bullying – application dismissed. | |||||||||||||||||
SO2022/22 |
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Williams C |
Perth |
1 March 2022 |
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