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An absent employee who repeatedly failed to respond to her employer's return-to-work requests has won her unfair dismissal claim, after the Fair Work Commission found she had not "abandoned her employment".

In October last year, Safety Assembly Moulding sacked the employee, who had been on workers' compensation leave since December 2021, after her actions indicated an intention not to return to her employment.

In unfair dismissal proceedings, the employer claimed the employee refused to attend multiple medical and other return-to-work appointments, failed to co-operate with or contact it about her return, and failed to go back to work when deemed fit to do so...