A Thai massage therapist who struck a colleague with a glass during a workplace altercation has lost her bid to challenge her dismissal after filing her unfair dismissal claim too late. Amorn Bangpa, who had worked at Vimana Thai Massage for more than two years, told the Fair Work Commission that criminal proceedings stemming from the incident had consumed her time and caused significant stress, but the Commission found no exceptional circumstances to justify extending the statutory deadline. The case highlights how strictly unfair dismissal time limits are enforced, even when applicants cite ongoing legal and personal difficulties.

The altercation occurred on 14 June after a verbal dispute escalated, with Bangpa claiming she was provoked and acted defensively after being scratched, bruised and kicked, while her colleague suffered a two-centimetre cut and swelling to the scalp. Bangpa pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and received a conditional release order without conviction in July. She filed her unfair dismissal application 16 days after the deadline, and Deputy President Alexandra Grayson ruled this delay, alongside her other arguments about alleged misinformation regarding a criminal record, did not amount to exceptional circumstances warranting an extension.