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A casual employee whose engagements were described as "ad hoc and sporadic" had unfair dismissal protection and was sacked without a valid reason, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.

The employer relied on its policy of "offboarding" inactive casuals, but its real reason for dismissing the employee related to conduct concerns, which it didn't raise with him, said Deputy President Amber Millhouse.

The employee first worked as a casual retail sales assistant for Tarocash in May 2023, and the last shift he worked was on 29 December 2024.

It wasn't until 21 March 2025 that the employer informed him he wouldn't be offered any further shifts, letting him know via a text message and then a phone call that he was being "let go" due to "inactivity"...