Worker demands $100,000 in backpay from his bosses after refusing to do 'high stress' duties, work two days in a row or meet with HR

By SARAH BROOKES - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 23:34, 14 April 2026 | Updated: 23:34, 14 April 2026 A senior Reserve Bank employee has failed in his attempt to keep his employment dispute under wraps, after the Fair Work Commission rejected his suppression bid. The workplace watchdog had earlier ruled against Aditya Singhal when he sought $100,000 in backpay for a period where he said he was 'ready and willing to work'. That was provided he was not rostered on consecutive days, assigned high stress duties, or required to meet with RBA HR staff.  Mr Singhal claimed he suffered a work‑related psychological injury in June 2024, after being appointed to a senior role at the RBA in January that year, which he says was later aggravated in May when he first went on paid leave.  Documentation provided to the FWC, including from his treating practitioners, showed his medical conditions were 'varied' and 'wide-ranging'. He was medically certified fit for work with significant restrictions, including avoiding meetings with the RBA's HR department - led by Karlee Hughes and chief risk officer Keith Drayton - avoiding urgent and high‑stress assignments with quick turnaround times, working reduced hours, and working only on non‑consecutive days. The restrictions also included a requirement that he be granted paid or unpaid leave to work remotely from India while accompanying his father to medical appointments. In his submission to the FWC, Mr Singhal said it was not that he was totally unfit for work, but that his psychological injury limited the type, intensity and scheduling of duties he could safely perform.  Aditya Singhal claims he suffered a work‑related psychological injury in June 2024 at the Reserve Bank of Australia led by Michele Bullock (pictured)  The senior employee was medically certified fit for work with significant restrictions, including avoiding meetings with the RBA's chief risk officer Keith Drayton (pictured) Mr Singhal said that, subject to those conditions, he remained 'ready and willing' to work, however the RBA failed to provide him with such duties and to pay his wages.  But the RBA argued he wasn't entitled to a cent because salary is only paid when work is performed, and Mr Singhal did not work at all during that period. The bank added his medical restrictions meant he wasn't truly 'ready, willing and able' to do the core parts of his job, and it was entirely reasonable to refuse partial duties that didn't meet the role's inherent requirements. Deputy FWC President Tom Roberts said that, aside from being involved in disciplinary proceedings that later fell away and working for two days in December after his medical restrictions eased, Mr Singhal 'did not actually perform any work' between June 30, 2025, and January 13, 2026. Mr Singhal's confidentiality bid sought 'anonymisation' of the published decision and the removal of identifying references to his employer, his medical condition and his personal circumstances. He said the decision's inclusion of detailed information about his work‑related psychological injury and other sensitive medical material had been provided 'under compulsion of the dispute resolution process'. Mr Singhal argued publishing the information would cause ongoing harm that was disproportionate to any public interest in its disclosure. The RBA opposed the employee's application for suppression. Other restrictions included Mr Singhal was to avoid meeting with HR which is headed by Karlee Hughes (pictured left) Mr Roberts dismissed Mr Singhal's application to suppress key parts of the commission's decision, saying the principle of open justice must be given significant weight by those making decisions that affect the rights of others.  'Mere embarrassment, damage or distress is not sufficient to justify a non-publication order,' he said in his ruling.  'The employee does not identify with any precision the "personal circumstances" or the medical information in the decision, the publication of which he now seeks to restrict. 'For the most part, the decision simply refers to some of the information contained in the certificates of capacity tendered and relied upon by the employee in support of the relief he sought in the original proceeding. 'It is not correct to assert, as he does, that this information was provided 'under compulsion of the dispute resolution process. He initiated the proceedings and supplied the evidence voluntarily in support of his own case. 'His medical certification as to his capacity to perform suitable work was central to his claim that he should have been paid for the periods in dispute. 'It would be difficult to appreciate the nature of the matter the Commission was dealing with and the reasoning process adopted in arriving at the decision if these details were to be redacted.' People are seen walking past the Reserve Bank Of Australia building in Sydney Mr Roberts also rebuffed Mr Singhal's claim that references to disciplinary proceedings should be restricted, especially given the disciplinary process was a key part of his case as he sought to be paid for seven days of 'disciplinary participation'. Mr Singhal's claim for workers compensation was previously denied in August 2025. The Daily Mail understands Mr Singhal was employed as the executive manager of risk at the RBA. He was previously a senior manager at Big Four bank Westpac.  According to Glassdoor a senior executive manager of risk could attract a salary of up to $300,000 with the average wage approximately $245,000.  By contrast, RBA governor Michele Bullock earns $1.19million per year.  The ruling comes against the backdrop of the Reserve Bank's ongoing rate hikes.  Westpac has forecast three more crushing interest rate increases in 2026, levels not seen since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. The banking giant now expects the RBA to increase the cash rate by 0.25 percentage points in May, June and August, making it a total of five hikes in as many meetings and pushing the cash rate to a punishing 4.85 per cent. More troubling for mortgage holders, Westpac anticipates no rate cuts until 2028, signalling years of sustained financial pressure for Australian borrowers. The RBA declined to comment on the matter when contacted by Daily Mail.  The comments below have not been moderated. 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