A FWC full bench has overturned the approval of the Mantle Group's Hot Wok agreement, accusing it of "deliberate manipulation of the statutory process of making enterprise agreements" and is considering referring the company's senior HR manager to the AFP for potential criminal prosecution for deliberately providing false or misleading information to the tribunal.
Wages in private sector agreements approved in the September quarter remained stuck at 2.9% a year, defying labour shortages and inflationary pressure, according to DEWR data.
The FWC has today approved an agreement for the second time, after a "computer glitch" corrupted the formatting of the deal endorsed by the tribunal the first time around.
Target has paid workers a $400 lump sum bonus after they voted up a proposed four-year deal to replace its 2012 "zombie" agreement, with conditions, wages and pay rises to be tightly pinned to the retail award.
The Albanese Government says it is not feasible to fund the FWC's interim increase for aged care workers before July next year and wants to hold back a third of the 15% boost until mid-2024, but an "incredulous" HSU says the sector expects the increase to apply immediately on approval.
Enterprise agreements filed with the FWC in the fortnight to November 18 paid average annualised wage increases of 3.4%, substantially outpacing the 2.8% rises in DEWR's data for June quarter agreements but well below consumer price inflation of about 7%.
A FWC full bench has upheld the rejection of a mining company's deal after shortcomings in the way it was explained denied some workers a chance to cast an informed vote on whether to remain on the Black Coal Award and enjoy "far superior" redundancy benefits and a ban on casual employment.
A FWC full bench has thwarted a multinational company's attempt to end to a 30-year practice of maintenance workers banking two hours' leave a week in lieu of pay rises, finding a member wrongly concluded the arrangement could be changed when its agreement reached its nominal expiry date.
The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act has received Royal Assent, stamping out pay secrecy clauses in new employment contracts, paring back MSD requirements and making it harder for employers to terminate agreements during bargaining, while the ABCC has entered a transition period ahead of its abolition.
