Case Club

Join us for a relaxed evening discussing IR cases over cheese and wine!

Like a book club, we will choose a case to start our discussions off (usually based on an interesting factual scenario, novel legal principle and/or really good writing).

Our second case is the seminal unfair dismissal case in the state industrial relations system, The Undercliffe Nursing Home v The Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union of Australia, Hospital Service and Miscellaneous WA Branch (1985) 65 WAIG 385.

Questions for discussion:

1. What makes a case a seminal case?
2. In this case, the breach of an important workplace rule was found to be trivial. Considering the concept of industrial fairness, where might the line have crossed over into conduct serious enough that the dismissals would likely have been left undisturbed?
3. What might be a modern-day equivalent factual scenario if this case happened in 2026?

Case Club is also a space to share your own favourite cases and discuss the decisions that made you think. Case suggestions for future case clubs can be emailed to irsocietywa@gmail.com.

Everyone is welcome.