Coles worker wins $6,500 after unfair dismissal for stopping shoplifter
Fair Work found Coles' dismissal harsh and unreasonable despite a valid safety breach, awarding the Pyrmont worker $6,500 compensation.
A casual Coles worker in Pyrmont will receive $6,500 after Fair Work declared his dismissal harsh and unreasonable. The man tried to stop two suspected shoplifters at an adjacent Liquorland store on a December evening while on a break.
He held one suspect for about two minutes before releasing her, then returned to help clean up. The man had worked at Coles for 10 years without a disciplinary record.
He said his actions were a sudden impulse driven by frustration at repeat offenders. Coles fired him for breaching three safety rules: putting himself at risk, failing to keep distance from aggressors, and following someone out of the shop.
Fair Work deputy president Judith Wright agreed there was a valid reason to dismiss him. However, she found the dismissal harsh because he didn't knowingly or deliberately break the rules, had a clean record, and the suspension was mishandled, he wasn't given written information or a support person.
- $6,500
- Compensation awarded
- 10 years
- Years employed
- About 2 minutes 20 seconds
- Time holding suspect
- Pyrmont, Sydney
- Store location
Why it mattersRetail workers often face violence, but the case shows employers can't fire someone harshly just for trying to help stop a theft.
AustraliaIt highlights the tension Australian retail workers face between safety rules and the reality of trying to stop shoplifting and protect colleagues.
Corroborated bysmh.com.au
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