Log in or become a subscriber

An email that an employee characterised as "menacing" was in fact "reasonable and appropriate", and every matter that managers raised with him "ought to have been raised", the FWC has found in rejecting his stop-bullying application.

Before dealing with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) employee's application, Deputy President Lyndall Dean deemed it "unfortunately necessary" to make some observations about his conduct during proceedings.

She said the graduate lawyer was "exceptionally difficult to deal with" and, despite his qualifications, was "unable to follow the most basic of instructions". She also considered his tone was unprofessional and inappropriate towards the Commission, his employer, its representatives, and the supervisor, manager and director he alleged had bullied him.

"During the hearing, [the employee] was belligerent, rude, obstructive, refused to concede points he clearly should have, and regularly refused to answer questions directly... He also characterised the reasonable and appropriate questions asked of him during cross examination as 'f-cking ridiculous'," she said...