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Creator of 'Sickos' social media group loses unfair dismissal claim

An employee who created a private Facebook group where colleagues would "take the p-ss" out of each other and share inappropriate content has failed to prove his dismissal for posting p-rnographic videos was unfair.

The Ventia leading firefighter, based at a naval air station in Nowra, was dismissed in September last year for creating and sharing offensive content in two private Facebook groups, one of which was called the 'Sickos Video Sharing Group'.

In unfair dismissal proceedings, Commissioner Bernie Riordan heard that the group comprised 15 current or former colleagues, and a few others who weren't associated with the employer.

The employer claimed that earlier in the year it became aware of posts in the group that breached its bullying policy and code of conduct. In these posts the employee: asserted he was "pretty much the union" and that he would "blackmail" a manager who would "do anything I say"; called colleagues who left the group "soft cocks" and "pussies"...

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