Sydney trader wins unfair dismissal case after hiding Singapore location

Charles Graham, a currency dealer based in Sydney, was fired by his employer, Xe, after working from a hotel in Singapore while saying he was working from home in Sydney.

Xe had refused his earlier request to work in Singapore for a year, saying his role was based in Sydney and it was not licensed to operate in Singapore.

Graham said his return to Australia was delayed because his partner developed an infection, but the Fair Work Commission found he deliberately hid his location and knew he needed approval to work overseas.

The commission also considered an earlier occasion when he had worked from Bali while giving his manager a different explanation.

It found Xe had a valid reason to dismiss him, but did not fully explain the case against him or give him a proper chance to respond.

Graham won his unfair dismissal case and was awarded four weeks of backpay, but the commission said reinstatement was not appropriate and awarded no compensation.

It also said a fair process was unlikely to have saved his job.