In a significant ruling on supposed 'cancel culture', a court has found a leading sandstone university and its former deputy vice chancellor breached an agreement's intellectual freedom clause when the institution sacked a lecturer for superimposing a swastika on a posted image of an Israeli flag.
A Federal Court majority has slashed by more than 65% penalties imposed on a government-owned organisation for breaching agreement obligations, finding them "manifestly excessive".
In a detailed examination of a major government department's early response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Court has rejected union claims that a hastily-conceived working from home policy breached existing arrangements and consultation requirements.
The FWC has refused to issue interim orders stopping Yarra Trams from introducing an overhauled rostering system that was months in the making and designed to accommodate the Spring Racing Carnival, while complying with stricter fatigue management rules.
The FWC has held that resource giant South32 unfairly treated some workers it directed to isolate and get tested after identifying them as COVID-19 contacts, ordering it to recredit annual leave, deduct sick leave and pay them for other times as though they were at work.
The SDA says Aldi will have to pay up to $10 million to about 4000 warehouse workers nationally while also facing potential fines after a court found pre-shift tasks required at a western Sydney distribution centre constitute work.
The FWC has in upholding Telstra's right to trim costs by changing shift arrangements for its most experienced technicians suggested it review its HR practices to avoid confusion when such variations are made in future.
The Productivity Commission says the workplace tribunal should have a "fast-track process" for early involvement in industrial disputes on the docks, while waterfront employers should have more options for taking their own protected action beyond lockouts.
A FWC member wrongly concluded that he lacked the power to hear the case of a university employee sacked for refusing to comply with COVID-19 vaccination directions, a full bench has found.
The FWC has speculated that a government business enterprise reviewing a stood-down employee's performance deliberately dragged its feet in the hope he would resign.
