IR Minister Christian Porter has flagged that he is looking to change key awards so that permanent part-time employees can agree to work extra hours at their usual rates of pay as required, leading to less reliance on casual work.
A leading international IR academic has called for optimism and political courage to forge a new post-pandemic social contract designed to build more productive and resilient economies while rebuilding worker trust and making workplaces more inclusive.
Labour costs have now dropped by more than 9% in the past year, while working hours have started to recover, according to ABS statistics released this morning that measure more than six months of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Support among workers for performing their duties from home, compressing their hours and job sharing has increased dramatically during COVID-19, according to university research commissioned by the FWC as it considers inserting a WFH clause in the clerical award.
The FWC has found the MUA should have followed the NSW chief medical officer's advice to return to the docks after OHS representatives issued a "cease work" order in response to wharfies contracting COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic.
Working from home is here to stay and will be "more effective for all" if it is supported by formal policies, hours are "relatively fixed hours" and it is voluntary, according to one of two university studies commissioned by the FWC as it considers inserting a WFH clause in the clerks award.
The ANMF has welcomed a Victorian Government plan for an Australian-first scheme to introduce nurse/carer to resident ratios in private sector aged care, calling for it to be adopted in other states and territories.
The ALP will consider its IR platform at a "virtual" national conference in late March next year, possibly just ahead of an early Federal election, while the ACTU's next triennial congress is also likely to go online.
An internal ACTU report says that employers and unions involved in the Morrison Government's IR working groups ended up at loggerheads over proposals to overhaul the award system, but found common cause on using shared data on award pay rates and entitlements.
