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A "competent" employee was unable to meet the requirements of his role due to an "unfortunate coincidence of circumstances", the Fair Work Commission has found, while upholding his dismissal as fair.

In other circumstances, it was likely the employee would have been able to "knuckle down and deliver the work allocated to him", Commissioner Benjamin Redford said.

In April this year, Victoria's Department of Transport and Planning sacked the employee – a senior surveyor in its land reform projects (LRP) team – on performance grounds.

He claimed unfair dismissal, rejecting that his work was substandard and arguing the employer didn't give him the resources, direction or training he needed to succeed...