ACTU secretary Dave Oliver has used a behind-closed-doors speech to call for employers to work with unions on a "new vision for jobs in Australia" rather than supporting the Abbott Government's IR agenda.
The Fair Work Commission has commended BHP Coal's approach to disciplining a tanker driver whose unintentional overwatering of a road at its Peak Downs Mine caused a rollover that wrote off a $1.2m truck and injured a colleague.
Senior FWC members will head up enterprise bargaining and dispute resolution workshops in a pilot to kick off in Sydney next month, as part of the tribunal's broader strategy to encourage more productive workplaces.
The federal government's decision as part of its "red tape" repeal campaign to rescind the IR guidelines for government cleaning contracts suggests it is "willing to turn a blind eye to labour law non-compliance by its own contractors", according to a procurement expert, Melbourne Law School associate professor John Howe.
Gender reporting requirements for businesses with more than 100 employees will stay as they are for another year, while new minimum reporting standards will apply to non-government employers with more than 500 employees from October, Employment Minister Eric Abetz has announced.
The Coalition has made good on its election promise to launch a new guide and online learning program to help small business owners to hire new employees.
