WA ruling bears no ill 10-32 15 Feb 2008

Employers should exercise caution when dealing with ill workers, warns Yvonne Henderson, Western Australia’s Equal Opportunity commissioner. A recent ruling in the state demonstrated the responsibilities of an employer when an employee becomes seriously ill.

Henderson cited the case against Tuftmaster Carpets, which forced a payroll officer at their Victorian branch to resign when she required a serious operation. The Industrial Relations Commission ruled that the company had unfairly dismissed the worker.
 
"If an employee seeks to have a period of work off because they have a medical condition and then the employer puts pressure on the employee to resign, it may be that a tribunal would find, as this one did, that in fact the employee was pressured,” reported Henderson.