A Melbourne man who was sacked by his father from a family business because he was late to dinner has won an unfair dismissal claim at the Fair Work Commission.

The son had been working at his father’s car repair shop for two years, when the two had a “heated exchange” at a Sunday family dinner on 10 March this year.

After he arrived late, the man’s parents “became angry and there was an argument”, according to court documents first reported by the Australian. The son was “told to leave and never come back, either to his parents’ house or to the [family] business”.

On Friday, commissioner Sarah McKinnon found that there was “no evidence” the son’s performance at work was unsatisfactory. She found he had been dismissed unfairly and ordered the father’s business to pay him $10,115.

“His relationship with his parents had been under strain for approximately one month, but there is insufficient context before me to explain why arriving late for dinner would have been a valid reason for dismissal,” she said.

“I am not satisfied that [the son’s] conduct in arriving late to dinner on 10 March 2019 can fairly be characterised as work-related conduct.”

McKinnon said the son should be awarded compensation, rather than reinstated to his job, because there had been “a genuine loss of trust and confidence between the parties”.

The son has also since found another job.

The commissioner said that if the son had not been dismissed at the dinner, it was reasonable that he would have continued to have worked for at least 6 months, where he earned $1,280 a week. This added up to $31,200 over that period.

However, she reduced the son’s compensation by 20% because he could have taken earlier steps to find alternative work after his sacking.

Other deductions were made for wages the son had earned since his dismissal, resulting in the $10,115 figure.

Communications had broken down between the family members, and the business did not provide a formal response to the son’s unfair dismissal claim.

“It is, to my mind, extremely sad that what was once a loving family has allowed relationships to deteriorate to the extent that they have,” McKinnon said.