A school teacher copped a pay cut to his salary after drinking from cask wine and smoking during a video call with his supervisor at 11am on a Monday.
Anthony Duncan, a teacher at Lyneham Primary School in Canberra, had been working from home on August 16, in 2021, under Covid lockdown orders when he had a one-on-one meeting with his supervisor.
During the call, which was at about 11am and during Mr Duncan’s work hours, he picked up a cask of wine, colloquially known as a goon sack, lifted it above his head and began to drink from it.
The teacher was not responsible for any students that day as he was preparing lessons for his class to do remotely.
A school teacher copped a pay cut to his salary for one year after drinking from cask wine and smoking during a video call with his supervisor at 11am on a Monday (stock image)
As a result of the drinking, Mr Duncan was given a written reprimand and had his pay reduced for 12 months.
The teacher challenged the punishment, taking the matter to the Fair Work Commission, and argued ‘the allegations against me are hyperbolic and lacking in veracity and thereby vociferously denied’.
He admitted to smoking, to which he was not punished for, and drinking but argued he was not intoxicated and the meeting had finished when he first had a drink.
Mr Duncan also made a point that he was not supervising children or was at school at the time.
FWC deputy president Lyndall Dean rejected his arguments, saying there was ‘no doubt’ Mr Duncan was at work.
‘If the first argument was right, then a teacher could smoke and consume alcohol in front of children in an online classroom setting. It is misconceived,’ she said.
‘Indeed, the employer has a duty to ensure a safe workspace in a person’s home when working from home.
The Lyneham Primary School teacher argued he was not on school grounds or supervising children when he took a swig from the wine cask
‘We are also not persuaded by the argument that work had finished and therefore the consumption of alcohol was a private matter. Mr Duncan was at work during normal hours of duty. The relevant policies apply.’
Ms Dean said it was ‘irrelevant’ that Mr Duncan was not responsible for any students as school policy states no alcohol can be consumed during work hours.
She ruled the sanction handed down to Mr Duncan was reasonable and dismissed his application for dispute resolution.