A joint statement announcing the settlement on Black Star’s website said the parties had worked together to resolve the matters.A joint statement announcing the settlement on Black Star’s website said the parties had worked together to resolve the matters.Two employees who were sacked after wearing keffiyehs to work at a bakery in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre have reached a confidential settlement with their former employer.
“Black Star understands that Ella and Lucy feel passionately about the cause they were representing,” the statement said. “All persons agree that this is a sensitive and emotional global issue for many people, which is also impacting Australians in many ways.”The same day the company’s HR department ordered them to remove the keffiyehs – an order they complied with. The following day, they were informed their employment would be terminated immediately.
“Ella and Lucy demonstrated peaceful solidarity with Palestine, which resulted in them losing their livelihood,” she said in a statement.Ella and Lucy argued the dismissal breached Victoria’s equal opportunity legislation for loss of employment because it discriminated against two staff members on the basis of their political belief or activity. The case was lodged with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in March.