A man who was fired from the family business after being late for dinner has won a case against his father, arguing he was unfairly dismissed.
Pasquale Parente had been the assistant manager at his father Edigo’s car repair business in the Melbourne suburb of Brooklyn, Australia.
However he was summarily fired after arriving late for dinner at his parent’s home, sparking an argument which ended with him being told to leave and never return to either the Parente household or the family business.
Now Edigo Parente has been ordered by an employment tribunal to pay his son compensation of $10,115 (£5,422).
The family business, Selective Smash Repairs, offered no formal response to Pasquale’s claim at the Fair Work Commission hearing into the dispute.
“Pasquale was dismissed for arriving late for a family dinner” Commissioner Sarah Mckinnon reported in her ruling.
“His relationship with his parents had been under strain for approximately one month, but there is insufficient context before me to explain why arriving late for dinner would have been a valid reason for dismissal. I am not satisfied that it was.”
The Commissioner ruled there was no fair reason for the dismissal.
She added: “It is, to my mind, extremely sad that what was once a loving family has allowed relationships to deteriorate to the extent that they have.
“However, Pasquale has the right to bring his claim and I must deal with it accordingly”.
