What defines a contingent worker remains "as clear as mud", according to a lawyer, who says employers must nonetheless step up their compliance efforts in line with increasing regulator activity.
An employer unfairly dismissed a casual employee when it informed her by text message that further shifts were "on hold" shortly after she announced she was pregnant, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in ordering her reinstatement.
Disputes so far about the application of fixed-term contract limits haven't yet resolved all the grey areas in the legislation, a workplace lawyer says.
The importance of complying with a direction didn't justify the "obstinate rejection" of an employee's explanations for not doing so, the Fair Work Commission has found in ordering her reinstatement.
A labour hire worker has been blocked from pursuing a general protections claim against two purported employers, with the Fair Work Commission accepting that neither terminated his employment.
Fixed-term contract restrictions have been a challenging reform to manage, but employers can take some comfort from the decisions handed down in disputes lodged so far, a workplace lawyer says in our latest Q&A.
Relying on complaints from seven years ago was "misconceived", the Fair Work Commission has ruled, in finding a worker accused of sexual misconduct should be reinstated.
Undertaking "preparatory steps" to establish a competing business while still employed will rarely be considered a breach of fiduciary and contractual obligations, a full bench of the Fair Work Commission has highlighted, in refusing an employer's unfair dismissal appeal.
General protections claims are the fastest-growing category of applications in the Fair Work Commission, with reforms now underway to stem the tide. This webinar will discuss important developments in both procedural issues and case law.
