A Federal Court judge has delayed a general protections case until a physical hearing can go ahead in September or October, after revealing he found himself "somewhat surprisingly torn" between the arguments for an in-person or virtual proceeding.
The FWC has upheld a recruitment company's dismissal of a consultant who refused, as the coronavirus pandemic escalated in early March, to complete a survey about his recent history of travel to destinations with moderate to high COVID-19 risks.
A worker has been granted a 13-day extension for filing an unfair dismissal application after the FWC accepted his sacking during the coronavirus pandemic left him in "a bad way".
A university says its union-supported application to insert COVID-19 leave-purchasing and shutdown measures into its agreements will save an estimated $15 million in return for job security commitments, while other tertiary institutions have sought similar arrangements.
The FWC has ordered a major supermarket supplier to resume bargaining after finding that it was using the current pandemic as an excuse to delay meeting with the UWU.
The FWC has found it reasonable to issue JobKeeper-enabling directions for some casuals to perform more than their pre-COVID-19 hours, after Prosegur required armoured vehicle operators to work a minimum of 25 hours a week.
The MUA has vowed to resist what it claims are "common" efforts by stevedoring companies to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to slash wages and conditions on the waterfront.
In a case of curious timing, the FWC has endorsed a council's mid-pandemic scrapping of an enduring work-from-home arrangement on the basis it fell outside the purview of a flexible work agreement clause.
The FWC has let a construction company bin a 5% pay rise that came into effect in February plus next year's increase, despite CFMMEU evidence that some workers felt pressured to support the COVID-19 variation in a ballot that identified their vote.
