SYDNEY (Reuters) – An employee of BP Plc’s Australian refinery who was fired last year for mocking management online using a well-known meme of Adolf Hitler has been awarded more than A$200,000 ($143,100) in compensation.
BP fired technician Scott Tracey from its Kwinana refinery in January 2019 for breaching its code of conduct after he posted a video to a staff Facebook group using a widely used clip from the movie Der Untergang (Downfall), showing Hitler ranting on the brink of losing World War Two.
Tracey appealed, and the Fair Work Commission (FWC) ruled earlier this year that he had been unfairly dismissed, paving the way for him to return to work. And in May, BP lost an appeal in the Federal Court against the FWC ruling.
