The worker, employed by labour hire firm Adecco, was placed at Amazon’s Kemps Creek fulfilment centre. She had worked full-time casual shifts there for seven months. After disclosing she was seven weeks pregnant, she provided a medical certificate stating she should not lift more than five kilograms but could otherwise continue working. She completed two shifts with light duties before receiving an SMS from Adecco stating that such duties were "no longer available" and her scheduled shifts were "on hold".
The Commission found Adecco’s explanation misleading. In reality, her employment was ended with no clear communication or timeline. Despite her efforts to follow up and seek reasonable adjustments, Adecco ceased contact. The Commission determined this amounted to an unfair dismissal. Adecco did not show evidence that her termination followed proper procedure or was related to her work capacity.
This decision comes amid growing global attention on Amazon’s handling of pregnant warehouse employees. Legal actions have been taken in other regions such as New Jersey, and in Australia, Amazon settled a discrimination case in 2022. While Amazon was not the employer in this case, the outcome may increase scrutiny of how its contractors address employee health needs. It also underscores that medically supported restrictions like light duties must not be withdrawn without valid justification.
