We all know the struggles of wanting to take the occasional sick day off work. Whether we're truly "sick" or not, it's always tempting. After all, who hasn't done it? But, sometimes they're needed because of medical conditions. Either way, it's important not to let things spiral out of control.
An Australian ferry worker working for the Brisbane CityCat has been fired after she took 114 sick days from work, as reported by the New York Post. For reference, that's just under 1/3 of the entire year - not including public holidays.
Jodie Daunis worked for several years as a customer service operator on Brisbane's ferries. Her employer, Kelsian Group, fired her after her shocking amount of sick days was revealed to them.
She developed deep vein thrombosis in 2024, a condition where blood clots form in deep veins, typically in the legs. This lead to her being hospitalised in 2025, after her insurance provider declined to cover her surgery.
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She Said She Was Wrongly Fired
Doctors said that she was unfit to work, and needed three months off after being hospitalised in April. However, after being independently vetted in July 2025 after those three months, there was some disagreement about what would come next.
Daunis and her union, the Maritime Union of Australia, argued that the assessment said she'd be able to come back to work after the surgery. But her employer, Kelsian, said otherwise. They fired her after saying the assessment showed she wouldn't be able to perform the duties of her role. They also said her absence would lead to a "ripple effect" of others having to cover her shifts.
She challenged the decision with her union, but it didn't work out for her. The Fair Work Commission sided with the ferry operator. Commissioner Chris Simpson ruled that the medical report "fell well short" of proving that Daunis would still be fit to work. He continued, "I do not accept that the report conclusively determined that Ms Daunis could fulfil the inherent requirements of her role in the future. I am satisfied that the evidence does not support such a conclusion."
