Ross v GN Comtext (Australia) Pty Limited [2000] NSWIRComm 133

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : Ross v GN Comtext (Australia) Pty Limited [2000] NSWIRComm 133 APPLICANT: David Ross PARTIES : RESPONDENT: GN Comtext (Australia) Pty Limited FILE NUMBER: IRC 6383 of 1998 CORAM: Walton J Vice-President Unfair contract - multinational corporations - applicant moved between various countries over a number of years at employers request - redundancy - calculation of notice period - in circumstances of case period of employment with parent company overseas considered to be relevant to calculation of notice period when made redundant in Australia - relocation of emploee at employers request relevant to calculation of notice - one month notice plus one month ex gratia payment considered unfair - severence payment - redundancy and severance payments conceptually distinct

CATCHWORDS : Contract of employment - finding of an arrangement between parties resulting in work in an industry - finding of arrangement treated as a contract for the purposes of s106 - finding of arrangement makes the question of contract in strict sense irrelevant for purposes of s106 - commission payments excluded from assessment of compensation

Mitigation - mitigation will not strictly apply in all cases - applicant did not act unreasonably in the circumstances - contract varied - payments for notice and severance ordered LEGISLATION CITED : Industrial Relations Act 1996 s105 & s106 Abboud v The State of New South Wales (Department of School Education) No.2 [2000] NSWIRComm 110 Baker v National Distribution Services Limited (1993) 50 IR 254 Barclays Australia Investment Services Limited v Nordby (unreported, Bauer, Glynn and Hill JJ, CT 93/1205, 5 October 1995, at 33) Bankstown City Council v Paris (unreported, Wright J President, Peterson J and Bishop C, matter no 262 of 1999, 23 August 1999) Caine v LEP International Pty Limited (unreported, Glynn J, IRC 98/2441, 27 October 1999) Day v Lumley Life Limited (1997) 90 IR 70 Fryar v System Services Pty Ltd (1996) 137 ALR 321 Gala v State Bank of New South Wales (1998) 84 IR 216 Harcourt Brace & Company (Australia) Pty Ltd v Cory (1998) 81 IR 321 ICI Operations Pty Ltd (T/as Dulux Australia) v Hutton (1993) 47 IR 288 CASES CITED : Lavings v Barclay Mowlem Construction (New South Wales) Pty Ltd (unreported, Hill J, CT93/1233, 15 September 1994) Martin v National Textiles Limited (unreported, Schmidt J, IRC 98/5100, 21 February 2000) Michel v Ogilvy & Mather Pty Limited (1996) 71 IR 417 Newton v Goodman Fielder Mills Ltd (1997) 81 IR 227 Nordby v Barclays Australia Investment Services Limited & Anor (1993) 53 IR 319 Pavior-Smith & Anor v The National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Ltd (1999) 91 IR 8 Payne v Foxboro L & N Pty Ltd & Another (1998) 81 IR 404 Port Macquarie Golf Club Limited v Stead & Another (1996) 64 IR 53 Pullen v R & C Products Pty Ltd (1994) 60 IR 183 Re Redundancy Awards (1994) 53 IR 419 Starkey v Healthcare Corporation Pty Limited (unreported, Maidment J, IRC 97/6613, 24 August 1999) Wheeler v Philip Morris Limited (1989) 32 IR 323 HEARING DATES: 03/06/2000; 03/13/2000 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 08/31/2000