A full Federal Court has found that a CFMEU official breached the Fair Work Act's "hinder or obstruct" prohibition for permit-holders when he "liberally" swore at a safety inspector, but rejected the ABCC's argument that it was denied procedural fairness when the trial judge described former Commissioner Nigel Hadgkiss's questioning of a witness as "inexcusable".
In a decision sure to be closely analysed by employers, a court has ruled that a worker is entitled to accrued annual leave despite being paid a casual loading for 15 years.
The TWU has been penalised more than $270,000 for failing to remove almost 21,000 unfinancial members from a state branch register over a 12-year period.
Requirements for bargaining representatives from this week to disclose financial benefits stemming from enterprise agreements before workers vote on them will make it easier to track the revenue the deals generate for unions, employers say.
A senior FWC member has upheld the sacking of an underground mineworker who tested positive for THC and continued to have elevated levels of the drug in his system 22 days later, finding it the "only course of action open" to the employer.
The ASU is appealing a finding that the ATO can require employees to 'hot desk' regardless of whether they perform field work, the union arguing it wouldn't have endorsed the 2017 agreement if it had been made aware of the agency's intention.
Employers opposing the merger of the CFMEU, MUA and TCFU have warned the FWC that the unions would use their combined might to cripple the resource and construction industries, but they argue that in any case more than 45 pending penalty proceedings should legally disqualify them from amalgamating.
A union's liability for entry breaches by its officials has been underlined by a court hitting the CFMEU with a $200,000 fine for disrupting a concrete pour on a major rail project over alleged safety concerns.
More than 20,000 Domino's workers will vote on an SDA-backed national agreement next week, despite RAFFWU labelling it a "terrible deal" scarcely improved by additional FWC-ordered talks.
An FWC full bench has refused the CEPU leave to appeal a ROC decision on financial reporting deadlines, holding that the "real purpose" of the union's case was to avoid potential penalties for failing to meet its statutory obligations.
