New ACTU pitch for vehicle allowances; Delayed CPI move for expense-related allowances; Further reporting extension for WFH inquiry; and Labour law conference seeking papers.
A contentious random drug and alcohol testing regime can go ahead at Opal Packaging after a full Federal Court found both employer and union erred and in turn led the primary judge astray by focusing on who benefited from a requirement that the "status quo remain" in their dispute resolution procedure, while ignoring the rest of the clause.
The FWO is demonstrating an "appropriately cautious" approach to pursuing employers under new wage theft laws, the Closing Loopholes review has found, while a senator has separately told a parliamentary inquiry that the bar for prosecution might be too high.
The Federal Court has rejected an urgent union application to rule on the validity of requests to bargain with resources giant Fortescue for workers employed at a key iron ore mining hub in the Pilbara.
"Guardrails" on intractable bargaining declarations, lower evidence thresholds to access paid domestic violence leave and increasing the reach of same job, same pay orders are among 52 recommendations contained in the independent review of the Albanese Government's Closing Loopholes reforms.
The Albanese Government's decision to cover a multi-million dollar security bill for protecting the CFMEU administrator from threats to life and safety has divided the building industry.
The AEU's Victorian branch says an Allan Government offer to lift public school teachers' pay by up to 32% over four years will put them ahead of their NSW counterparts and is "worthy" of members' endorsement.
The Ai Group is asking the FWC's expert panel to restrict pay rises for minimum wage and award-reliant workers to an inflation-lagging 3.9%, branding the ACTU's revised claim for a 6% increase "reckless".
Fortescue is seeking to strike back against union efforts to force it into bargaining, launching court action that has now sparked a counter-suit from the AWU and ETU, seeking orders to compel it to kickstart the process by issuing a bargaining notice.
