Employee terminated following vehicle pursuit incident and integrity breach concerns
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently examined an unfair dismissal claim involving a surveillance operative who argued his termination was unjust following a vehicle pursuit incident during an anti-corruption operation.
The case arose when the worker followed a member of the public who had left the scene of a minor collision with a colleague's vehicle, leading to allegations of dangerous driving and subsequent dishonesty about the incident.
The worker argued his dismissal was unfair because he was acting to protect a colleague's safety and welfare after she reported being involved in a collision during the surveillance operation.
He maintained that his pursuit of the departing vehicle was instinctive and justified, and that he had followed instructions from his supervisor to track the vehicle that had damaged an organisational asset.
The employer contested the worker's claim, arguing the dismissal was justified due to serious misconduct involving dangerous driving that endangered public safety and subsequent dishonesty in official correspondence.
The employment relationship involved a surveillance operative with almost 15 years of service, having commenced employment with a predecessor organisation in 2010 before transferring when the current employer absorbed that agency in 2013.
On 8 May 2024, several surveillance operatives, including the worker and...
Tribune News Editor [email protected] TWO Bahamians were indicted in separate US federal districts last week on charges linked to passport fraud and false claims of American citizenship, acc...