Employment

A Canberra massage parlour that systematically underpaid, intimidated and exploited migrant workers, including by threatening to kill their family members if they complained, has been hit with a $1 million penalty. 

A judge has refused to allow a female pilot to bring claims that Qantas engaged in sex discrimination because it had a culture that was “hostile to women”, saying that while the ‘vibe’ of a claim might suffice in the court of public opinion, it could not survive in a court of record.

The High Court had been asked to clarify the extent of protection for employers for genuine redundancies under the Fair Work Act, after an appeals court found the exemption was “not absolute”.

In a highly unusual move, the applicant in an employment class action against hospitality giant Merivale has reneged on an $18 million settlement, saying a jump in group member registration since the deal was struck means the sum would no longer win court approval.

A request to a female senior engineer for WSP to “get the coffees” during a client meeting did not amount to gender-based harassment, the Fair Work Commission has found in rejecting the engineer’s unfair dismissal claim.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has struck back at claims in a Fair Work suit brought by a graduate associate, denying liability for the alleged sexual harassment by the woman’s manager at multiple Sydney bars.

Charges accusing Victoria’s Department of Health of health and safety breaches during the state’s hotel quarantine program have been dropped on the eve of trial, after the state succeeded in excluding evidence submitted to an inquiry into the disastrous program.

A former engineer with Santos has won a bid for more time to bring a claim against the energy giant, with the Fair Work Commission finding “an error in arithmetic” by her lawyer was a reasonable explanation for the out-of-time filing.

Workplace investigations involving unwitnessed, conflicting accounts are among the most difficult situations for an employer, but findings can still be made, despite the “common misconception” there is nothing to tip the balance, according to experts. 

Swinburne University has underpaid around 1,800 casual staff $2.85 million, the latest university to admit it failed to compensate workers fully.