- It was regular and predictable under 7 days on and 7 days off rosters set 12 months in advance;
- Apart from one short period arranged with the second mine owner, was continuous;
- It was facilitated by travel and accommodation provided at no cost to him;
- The FIFO arrangement was inconsistent with the notion that Mr Skene could elect the days on which he worked without making the necessary arrangements with the mine owner;
- There was an expectation arising under the contract of employment between him and WorkPac that he would be available according to the roster provided to him until the assignment was complete; and
- The hours of work were regular and certain as demonstrated by his pay slips.As against that Judge Jarrett found three factors that weighed in favour of Mr Skene being a casual employee:
- He was paid by the hour and had to submit weekly time sheets;
- His employment was terminable on one hour’s notice; and
- WorkPac designated his employment as casual and Mr Skene was aware of and accepted that.Ultimately, Judge Jarrett found that the essence of casual employment, which is the absence of a firm advance commitment as to the duration of the employee’s employment or the days (or hours) the employee will work, was missing in the employment relationship between Mr Skene and WorkPac.As the employment was something other than casual, Mr Skene became entitled to annual leave, which is not a benefit of casual employment.Although the decision could be said to be limited to its particular circumstances, it might be seen as applying in circumstances where employer and employee believe that casual employment applies but in reality given the certainty of hours and absence of choice as to when an employee works, the employment relationship is in fact other than casual.
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Thursday, 19 January 2017
DOUBT ABOUT STATUS OF CASUAL EMPLOYMENT
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Doctors Boss fined over $50,000 for threatening worker
Thursday, 21 January 2016
Workers are Employees not Contractors
Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Can an employer change an employee's work roster?
Thursday, 17 September 2015
Even a small mistake can have big consequences for employers
The Standard Employment Contract: A Cautionary Tale
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Tweet or Twit: you be the judge
Questions about this article or about employment and workplace matters, our specialist employment and workplace relations team provide advice in all matters related to employment law.
Thursday, 15 January 2015
Employers on notice about age discrimination
Sunday, 26 October 2014
Employees: be clear on what you’re applying for
Thursday, 2 October 2014
Federal Court Case: Chef comes to grief over schnitzels
Employment Contracts: If it's not written it may not be in
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Stress, shock and miscalculation all insufficient grounds for extension of time at the Fair Work Commission
- the reason for the delay,
- when the employee first became aware of the dismissal,
- if the dismissal was disputed,
- any prejudice to the employer caused by the delay,
- the merits of the application; and
- fairness between the employee and others in their situation
(see sections 366(2) and 394(3)).
- filing a simple application is better than missing the deadline - you can always seek leave to amend later;
- applications for extension of time require exceptional circumstances; and
- circumstances that are stressful and unhappy for a dismissed employee are not necessarily exceptional.
Emma Pollett-Sutton
Lawyer
Anyone seeking advice about workplace laws should contact Nevett Ford Melbourne Lawyers on 03 9614 7111.
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Restaurant owners happy to pay less on Sundays
For workers in the hospitality industry, rising early for a Sunday morning shift after Saturday night’s revelry is worth it - if only for Sunday penalty rates.
The effect of the decision will be felt by the industry’s workers - a force already “low-paid compared to other industries”, with a “lower skills base” and made up primarily of students and women with children.
Emma Pollett-Sutton
Lawyer
Anyone seeking advice about workplace laws should contact Nevett Ford Melbourne Lawyers on 03 9614 7111.
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Fair Work Commission makes one order from 151 applications in first 3 months of anti-bullying jurisdiction
In March 2014 we wrote about the addition of an anti-bullying jurisdiction to the Fair Work Commission. To recap, from 1 January 2014, ‘workers’ (a broad term which includes subcontractors and volunteers) can apply to the Commission for a stop bullying order. Applications are dealt with by a Commissioner either by mediation, conference or hearing.
Although the definition of bullying excludes reasonable management action, the vast majority of applications allege bullying by managers.
Interestingly, 20 applications alleged bullying by a group of workers.
Details of the case are sparse - Senior Deputy President Drake’s order does not include any reasons, save that the orders were agreed by the parties during conference. However, the order is quite specific in its wording. The alleged perpetrator cannot have any contact with the applicant alone or comment about the applicant’s clothes or appearance. Interestingly, the applicant was ordered not to attend work before 8.15 am.
Emma Pollett-Sutton
Lawyer
Anyone seeking advice about workplace laws should contact Nevett Ford Melbourne Lawyers on 03 9614 7111.
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Pornography in the workplace - is this ground for automatic dismissal?
Anyone seeking advice about workplace laws should contact Nevett Ford Melbourne Lawyers on 03 9614 7111.



