WRC recommends end date for worker’s warning and demotion

The Workplace Relations Commission recommended that a worker’s final written warning and demotion expire on 15 December 2025, subject to satisfactory service, with a return to his former grade then. The recommendation, dated 25 October 2024, followed his admission that he removed a colleague’s personal property, saying he had borrowed it and intended to return it. The adjudication officer found the worker had received fair procedures and due process. But the disciplinary process exceeded the four-month limit in the company’s procedures, and circulation of an internal report raised concerns about confidentiality. The officer recommended that the worker accept the sanctions and notify management when certified fit to return so a meeting could be arranged about an appropriate assignment.