Italian chef fired in Australia for refusing to put pineapple on pizza

An Italian chef in Australia was sacked by a Brisbane restaurant following a series of workplace complaints that included his refusal to serve ham and pineapple pizza.

Davide Tamburella was dismissed from the now-closed La Costa restaurant in May, about two weeks after a meeting with management over concerns about his conduct.

One of the complaints involved his refusal to prepare ham and pineapple pizzas for guests attending a function. Tamburella had argued that management's instructions did not have to be followed if they were offensive to his culture.

The matter came to light after he approached Australia's Fair Work Commission, claiming that his dismissal was unfair.

In a ruling released on Tuesday, the commission said Tamburella had refused to use pineapple because he considered the topping an insult to Italian culture. It also noted that this was the third such refusal by the chef in four years.

On an earlier occasion, he had asked his employer to look into the importance Italians attached to keeping pineapple off pizzas.

The restaurant was based in Queensland, a state known as Australia's main pineapple-growing region. The Sunshine Coast is also home to the Big Pineapple, a 16-metre fibreglass landmark that attracts visitors.

The commission's ruling listed other concerns about Tamburella's conduct, including his use of foul language, communication with colleagues and growing frustration in the workplace.

It also referred to an incident in April when the chef fractured bones in his right hand after striking a metal handrail.

Tamburella had hoped the restaurant would sponsor a skilled-worker visa that could lead to permanent residency. However, the business stopped the sponsorship process after dismissing him, the commission heard.

His unfair dismissal claim was rejected because it had been lodged outside the permitted time limit.