In a ruling, deputy president Alan Colman dismissed the Victorian man’s application, finding he had not in fact been dismissed from his job.

The complainant alleged he had been sacked in breach of workplace rights after a co-worker told him, “in rude terms”, that “the cleft of his bottom was protruding from his trousers” and suggested he cover it up.

“[The complainant] was upset. His feelings were hurt,” Colman wrote.

However, Woolworths argued the man continued working shifts after filing the claim before later ceasing to attend work voluntarily.

“[The complainant] was not dismissed,” Colman said. “It was evidently a speculative claim made in pursuit of a monetary settlement.”

The deputy president also criticised the claimant for failing to attend a telephone hearing, describing the case as part of a growing trend of “unmeritorious claims” burdening the commission.

The Fair Work Commission has seen applications rise sharply in recent years. Commission president Justice Adam Hatcher said in February that AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT appeared to be contributing to the increase through AI-generated applications.