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Dismissing an employee because he wouldn't agree to his image or voice being shared on social media, unless he was paid extra for it, amounted to unlawful adverse action, the Federal Circuit Court has ruled.

The employer argued this "attitude" meant he wasn't a "suitable long-term employee", but Judge Heather Riley found this was an admission that it had acted because he had made a complaint or inquiry related to his employment.

The Asia Vacation Group travel sales consultant claimed that shortly after joining the employer on 17 June 2024, it asked him to participate in a podcast about travel in Japan.

After the podcast was published on its YouTube channel on 4 July, the employer asked for his consent to use some of the material to make a one-minute video that it would share on other social media platforms...