Australian sacked for Facebook rant

Damian O'Keefe, 28, claimed unfair dismissal, saying he posted the expletive-laden comments on his home computer outside work hours.

But Fair Work Australia, the country's workplace regulator, ruled that his employer, a homewares retailer, had the right to fire him.

O'Keefe admitted the post was about the firm's pay manager after writing that she was "useless", asking how she could "mess up my pay again" and saying they were "going down tomorrow".

But he said the comments were not intended for her eyes.

He was dismissed when he showed up for work the next day, with his boss telling him "You can't work here -- you made threats against us", according to the tribunal's written judgment that emerged Thursday.

"I can't keep you employed. What do I do if there are females who want to sue for harassment? It's best for you to just go," his supervisor said.

O'Keefe said he was angry about not receiving his commissions and had blocked the pay manager, Kelly Taylor, from seeing his comments.

But his privacy settings meant 11 of his co-workers could read the post, and Fair Work adjudicator Deirdre Swan upheld his dismissal, finding that his actions constituted a serious breach of the company's employee regulations.

"The fact that the comments were made on the applicant's home computer, out of work hours, does not make any difference," Swan said.

"The comments were read by work colleagues and it was not long before Ms Taylor was advised of what had occurred."

She added the company had "rightfully submitted, in my view, that the separation between home and work is now less pronounced than it once used to be".

(c) 2011 AFP