Latest news with #unfairDismissal
News.com.au
26-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Street sweeper Shaun Turner wins at FWC against Darebin Council over Acknowledgement of Country sacking
A worker has scored a major victory at the Fair Work Commission after he was unfairly sacked from an inner-city Victorian council for objecting to an Acknowledgement of Country. Shaun Turner, a street sweeper with Darebin City Council, was dismissed from his full-time position at the council in June last year following interruptions he made to acknowledgment remarks at an earlier meeting in April. The council claimed he said 'the Acknowledgement of Country is not necessary' and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 'do not deserve an acknowledgment at the start of meetings'. The council also accused him of speaking in a tone that was perceived as disrespectful, sarcastic and aggressive. Mr Turner claimed he had simply questioned why the acknowledgment statement was necessary because it was the first time it had been done at a toolbox meeting and said 'if we need to be thanking anyone it's the people who have worn the uniform and fought for out country to keep us free'. He also denied speaking in the aggressive or inappropriate tone. The council also claimed he made a derogatory comment about a colleague, but Mr Turner said he was 'entrapped' or induced to do so by a council officer. At later a meeting in May, Mr Turner also said 'it is getting out of hand and people are losing it, it is now being done at the opening of a postage stamp' and 'I don't need to be welcomed into my own country'. An Acknowledgement of Country is a common practice that regularly precedes formal events where a speaker recognises the traditional Indigenous custodians of the land where the event or meeting takes place. The council delivered its termination letter to Mr Turner on June 3, claiming he had 'not provided a work environment that fostered mutual respect and working relationships free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation' and had 'engaged in racial discrimination and vilification by inciting and encouraging hatred, serious contempt for, revulsion or serious ridicule against another person because of their race'. But this week, FWC deputy president William Clancy ruled that Mr Turner's dismissal was 'harsh' and 'unreasonable' and employees did not need to 'act in complete deference to their employer's views'. 'The proposition underlying the respondent's (Darebin council) case appears to be that there will be a valid reason for dismissal if an employee fails to act in complete deference to their employer's views and, moreover, does not adopt them,' he said. 'I do not accept this proposition. 'In the absence of a single witness to his actions attesting to having felt disrespect, Mr Turner was dismissed because he did not embrace the delivery of an Acknowledgement of Country at a toolbox meeting and instead employed sarcasm when expressing his opinion that Acknowledgements of Country are at risk of being overused.' Mr Clancy found the worker had declared that acknowledgments were warranted on special occasions. 'Offence was taken because Mr Turner held a contrary view,' Mr Clancy said. He also found the council's termination letter contained errors. 'The respondent (council) asserted in the termination letter that … Mr Turner confirmed he had said 'the Acknowledgment of Country is not necessary' and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 'do not deserve an acknowledgment at the start of meetings' … This is not correct,' Mr Clancy said. 'Mr Turner did not confirm these two statements at that meeting.' He also rejected Mr Turner's alleged inappropriate tone as a valid reason for dismissal. Darebin chief executive Michael Tudball, in a statement from Thursday morning, said the council respected the court process and FWC's authority. 'I want to take this opportunity to reiterate our unwavering commitment to providing everyone with a safe working environment at Darebin,' he said. 'That includes physical safety, cultural safety, and emotional safety. 'At council we have an ongoing commitment to recognise, respect and value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures in the community and our organisation.' Mr Turner is seeking to be reinstated to his job.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former GB News presenter 'sacked for calling Suella Braverman a racist'
A FORMER GB News presenter has claimed he was sacked for calling Suella Braverman a racist. Albie Amankona was dropped by the broadcaster last year and is now taking it to an employment tribunal, alleging that he was subject to racial discrimination and unfair dismissal. He formerly presented GB News's The Saturday Five programme and left after calling the former home secretary 'a racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman'. READ MORE: GB News apologised for his comments at the time, saying they had 'crossed a line between robust debate and causing unnecessary offence'. Amankona is now crowdfunding a legal campaign against the broadcaster, The Telegraph reports, and is getting support from Jolyon Maugham's (below) Good Law Project. He said: 'I regret that it has come to this, I have tried very hard to resolve matters privately and in good faith. Like so many fair-minded Britons I believe in free speech, fairness, the rule of law and I know right from wrong. GB News claims to stand for these values. 'My experience tells a different story. They must be held accountable, not only for cancelling me, but for seemingly treating non-white employees differently from white employees, and for abandoning the very values we Britons hold dear.' READ MORE: The Good Law Project said: 'GB News likes to brand itself as a champion of free speech and journalistic independence. But when one of its own presenters dared to call out racism and intolerance, the response was swift and severe: he was dropped instantly. 'It's a familiar pattern – when free speech aligns with their agenda, they celebrate it. But the moment it challenges their narrative, the mask slips.' A GB News spokesperson said: 'Mr Amankona's claim is misconceived, without merit and being robustly defended. As the claim is ongoing we do not propose to comment further.'
Telegraph
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
GB News presenter claims he was sacked for calling Suella Braverman a racist
A former GB News presenter has claimed he was sacked for calling Suella Braverman a racist on air. Albie Amankona, who was dropped by the broadcaster last year, is taking the channel to an employment tribunal over a string of claims including racial discrimination and unfair dismissal. Mr Amankona, a Tory commentator who presented debate programme The Saturday Five, left the broadcaster shortly after stating that he believed Ms Braverman was 'a racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman'. GB News issued an apology to the former home secretary, saying the comments 'crossed a line between robust debate and causing unnecessary offence'. The broadcaster added that Ms Braverman was 'understandably upset'. Mr Amankona alleges that he was taken off air as a result of the comments. He is crowdfunding his claim, which also includes allegations of harassment and victimisation, through the Good Law Project, a legal campaign group founded by outspoken barrister Jo Maugham. Mr Amankona said: 'I regret that it has come to this, I have tried very hard to resolve matters privately and in good faith. Like so many fair-minded Britons I believe in free speech, fairness, the rule of law and I know right from wrong. GB News claims to stand for these values. 'My experience tells a different story. They must be held accountable, not only for cancelling me, but for seemingly treating non-white employees differently from white employees, and for abandoning the very values we Britons hold dear.' The Good Law Project said: 'GB News likes to brand itself as a champion of free speech and journalistic independence. But when one of its own presenters dared to call out racism and intolerance, the response was swift and severe: he was dropped instantly. 'It's a familiar pattern – when free speech aligns with their agenda, they celebrate it. But the moment it challenges their narrative, the mask slips.' GB News denies the claims. A spokesman said: 'Mr Amankona's claim is misconceived, without merit and being robustly defended. As the claim is ongoing we do not propose to comment further.' String of controversies Mr Amankona is a broadcaster and activist who co-founded the Conservatives Against Racism For Equality group. He presented the GB News programme from March 2023 until August 2024, and has made regular appearances on other broadcasters including the BBC, LBC and Sky News. The legal challenge marks the latest twist in a turbulent few years for GB News, which has courted controversy since its launch in 2021 as a challenger to incumbents such as the BBC. Ofcom has found the channel in breach of broadcasting rules a dozen times over impartiality issues including its use of politicians as presenters. But in a major victory earlier this year, GB News successfully challenged Ofcom's decisions in the High Court, leading to several impartiality rulings being dropped. Nevertheless, the start-up is still locking horns with the watchdog, which is now consulting on plans to broaden its ban on politicians acting as news presenters. Angelos Frangopoulos, GB News chief executive, has accused Ofcom of having a 'jailer' mentality towards broadcasters, while co-owner Sir Paul Marshall last month claimed the regulator was unfairly punishing the channel under pressure from Left-wing activists.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GB News presenter claims he was sacked for calling Suella Braverman a racist
A former GB News presenter has claimed he was sacked for calling Suella Braverman a racist on air. Albie Amankona, who was dropped by the broadcaster last year, is taking the channel to an employment tribunal over a string of claims including racial discrimination and unfair dismissal. Mr Amankona, a Tory commentator who presented debate programme The Saturday Five, left the broadcaster shortly after stating that he believed Ms Braverman was 'a racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman'. GB News issued an apology to the former home secretary, saying the comments 'crossed a line between robust debate and causing unnecessary offence'. The broadcaster added that Ms Braverman was 'understandably upset'. Mr Amankona alleges that he was taken off air as a result of the comments. He is crowdfunding his claim, which also includes allegations of harassment and victimisation, through the Good Law Project, a legal campaign group founded by outspoken barrister Jo Maugham. Mr Amankona said: 'I regret that it has come to this, I have tried very hard to resolve matters privately and in good faith. Like so many fair-minded Britons I believe in free speech, fairness, the rule of law and I know right from wrong. GB News claims to stand for these values. 'My experience tells a different story. They must be held accountable, not only for cancelling me, but for seemingly treating non-white employees differently from white employees, and for abandoning the very values we Britons hold dear.' The Good Law Project said: 'GB News likes to brand itself as a champion of free speech and journalistic independence. But when one of its own presenters dared to call out racism and intolerance, the response was swift and severe: he was dropped instantly. 'It's a familiar pattern – when free speech aligns with their agenda, they celebrate it. But the moment it challenges their narrative, the mask slips.' GB News denies the claims. A spokesman said: 'Mr Amankona's claim is misconceived, without merit and being robustly defended. As the claim is ongoing we do not propose to comment further.' Mr Amankona is a broadcaster and activist who co-founded the Conservatives Against Racism For Equality group. He presented the GB News programme from March 2023 until August 2024, and has made regular appearances on other broadcasters including the BBC, LBC and Sky News. The legal challenge marks the latest twist in a turbulent few years for GB News, which has courted controversy since its launch in 2021 as a challenger to incumbents such as the BBC. Ofcom has found the channel in breach of broadcasting rules a dozen times over impartiality issues including its use of politicians as presenters. But in a major victory earlier this year, GB News successfully challenged Ofcom's decisions in the High Court, leading to several impartiality rulings being dropped. Nevertheless, the start-up is still locking horns with the watchdog, which is now consulting on plans to broaden its ban on politicians acting as news presenters. Angelos Frangopoulos, GB News chief executive, has accused Ofcom of having a 'jailer' mentality towards broadcasters, while co-owner Sir Paul Marshall last month claimed the regulator was unfairly punishing the channel under pressure from Left-wing activists. Ofcom has insisted it enforces its rules 'fairly and proportionately'. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Telegraph
16-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Rayner's workers' rights to ‘flood broken courts with spurious claims'
Britain's 'broken' employment tribunal system will be plunged into chaos by Angela Rayner's workers' rights plan as the courts struggle to clear a mounting backlog, business groups have warned. Official statistics show the logjam of employment tribunal claims brought by individual claimants jumped by 32pc in the year to March to 45,000 – as the number of new claims far outstripped those being settled. The Ministry of Justice also said an increasing number of tribunals were now being settled as claims continue to flood in. Craig Beaumont, executive director from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said the Deputy Prime Minister's pledge to strengthen worker and unions rights risked triggering an avalanche of additional tribunal claims. Labour's Employment Rights Bill will hand staff the right to take employers to tribunal for unfair dismissal from day one, instead of needing two years of employment before qualifying. In addition, tribunal claims can now also be brought without charge, after fees were scrapped following a 2017 Supreme Court ruling. Mr Beaumont said: 'The employment tribunal system was already swamped before this sustained surge in the backlog. 'With no extra resources allocated at the spending review, a broken system could be opened up by the Employment Rights Bill funnelling in spurious claims from day one of unfair dismissal. 'Facing a two-year wait, small employers will be pressured to settle to get rid of a vexatious claim even though they have done absolutely nothing wrong. Small businesses costs and stress are rising.' Mounting backlog It came as the FSB revealed that its legal advice line took a record 13,529 calls from bosses in the first three months of the year, up 10pc from 12,261 in the previous quarter. He noted that while Rachel Reeves had allocated £450m for the Courts service – including the Crown Court and the Criminal Courts – no money had been allocated to tribunal courts. The mounting backlog comes despite a pledge from ministers to review the current system to ensure it 'works better'. Employment tribunals are meant to be a last resort, but claims have surged over the past couple of years. At the same time, worries are mounting about the broader impact of the bill on growth and jobs at a time when they are already grappling with higher taxes that kicked in from April. Increases in employers' National Insurance (NI) contributions and the lowering of the threshold at which they are paid has already caused some companies – particularly in sectors such as retail and hospitality – to reduce hiring and investment, while some have cut swathes of jobs already. More than seven in 10 chiefs believe Ms Rayner's bill will have a negative impact on the British economy, a recent survey carried out by the Institute of Directors found. More than half said they would be less likely to hire new staff. Last month Rupert Soames, the president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said it would make companies less willing to recruit people with 'spotty' CVs and those receiving benefits. A Government spokesman said: 'Through our Plan for Change, this Government is delivering the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation, which will improve workplace relations and reduce the need for tribunals and strike action. 'Under the previous government, strike action alone lost billions of pounds for the economy and saw more lost days of work than any year since the 1980s. 'We are working hard to reduce the outstanding Employment Tribunal caseload and improve productivity, including by diverting some cases away from tribunals and recruiting additional Judges.'
