ABC accused of violating the Fair Work Act for sacking employee over social media posts
Journalist Antoinette Lattouf has filed a claim with the Fair Work Commission (FWC) alleging unlawful termination from her role at ABC radio following her social media posts related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, according to reports.
The Guardian in December reported Lattouf's FWC submission, where it said ABC informed her that the termination was for "breaching the ABC's social media policy" over several posts on her Instagram account.
One of the posts included a video she reposted from the Human Rights Watch (HRW) that said: "The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza," according to the reports.
But on her repost, Lattouf said: "HRW reporting starvation as a tool for war."
She was summoned a day later for the "quick chat" that eventually ended in her termination, a move that she was told came from upper management, according to The Guardian report.
In the same submission, Lattouf also claimed that the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has been complaining about her employment with ABC.
The council, however, denied that the organisation filed complaints to the ABC.
"The ECAJ does not write the ABC's code of practice nor does it enforce it. Perhaps this is a case of people power prevailing upon the ABC and our national broadcaster deciding correctly that activism and journalism are not the same thing," ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin told The Guardian.
Lattouf's submission to the FWC claims that she was unlawfully terminated on the grounds of "political opinion or a reason that included political opinion."
She is seeking compensation, and a penalty as well as declaration that ABC violated the Fair Work Act, The Guardian reported.
The FWC states in its website the employees are "protected against adverse action in employment based on activities expressing their political views."
"Political opinion includes membership of a political party; expressed political, socio-political, or moral attitudes, or civic commitment," the FWC said.
Politics has long been a tricky subject of discussion in workplaces as they tend to sow into divisions among employees. A recent survey from E-learning Industry even found that 55% of employees are afraid to share their political views out of concerns that it could harm relationships with colleagues.
This leaves employers with the challenge on how to navigate such work environments.
"You might want to remind employees to keep your discourse civil and respectful in the workplace. That's the main issue," Mike MacLellan, partner at CCPartners in Brampton, Ontario, previously told HRD.
