A childcare centre worker has received $41,061 in compensation from the Fair Work Commission after being unfairly dismissed last October following his questioning of a colleague’s attendance at a neo-Nazi rally.
Amru Mohamed Didi was awarded $41,061 in compensation, plus superannuation, after being unfairly dismissed by The Grove Children’s Centre in Coburg.
Didi’s dismissal followed a workplace dispute involving colleague Stella Skordos and senior management. Skordos attended a “March for Australia” rally on August 31, 2025 where many of the individuals present self-identified as neo-Nazis.
Didi told Skordos that her participation in the protest “makes you look like one of them,” referring to neo-Nazis and racists. Skordos was not directly called a neo-Nazi and racist and the Commission found it more likely that Didi framed his comment as a perception rather than an accusation.
Skordos then issued a complaint to operations manager Shannon Owen-Abbotto, who met with Didi along with centre director Ruwani De Silva. Didi was unreasonably denied a support person during the meeting.
Didi was told he breached the centre’s values. “Inclusivity means being inclusive of all opinions, including racist and Nazi opinions,” Owen-Abbotto told him, according to uncontested evidence cited in the ruling.
While the meeting was “unpleasant,” it was not enough to justify dismissal.
Approved Provider Daniela Abbotto terminated Didi’s employment without speaking directly to him, Skordos or any other staff who witnessed the incident.
Abbotto’s decision was based on information provided by Owen-Abbotto and De Silva. The commission stated that Abbotto’s decision was not “‘well-founded’ or ‘sound’,” noting it was based on the incorrect belief Didi admitted to calling Skordos a neo-Nazi.
The Commission found the dismissal was not justified and said several procedural shortcomings further undermined its fairness.
Source: Herald Sun
