The Morrison Government has confirmed it is considering how the "temporary flexibilities" given to employers under the Fair Work Act to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic can be extended.
The coronavirus pandemic has cut growth in the Wage Price Index in the private sector to the lowest level in its 23-year history, the ABS has confirmed today.
The newly-independent South Australian Senator Rex Patrick says he will now focus on job creation through industry policy and value-added manufacturing to help Australia recover from the coronavirus pandemic rather than "tweaking the IR rules" as sought by the Morrison Government.
New data from the FWC has confirmed the workplace upheaval being wrought by COVID-19, with a leap in unfair dismissal applications, stand-down disputes and agreement variations in pursuit of a wage freeze or deferral.
An FWC full bench has today rejected a "misconceived' bid by construction employers to "level the playing field" by extending JobKeeper award flexibilities to ineligible companies in the sector, but has left the door open for changes due to the new Level 4 restrictions implemented in response to Victoria's second coronavirus wave.
The Morrison Government has eased the eligibility thresholds for businesses and employees to qualify for the JobKeeper wage subsidy program, largely due to the Victorian coronavirus outbreak that has shut down large parts of the State's economy.
A major union has threatened to take the AFL to the Fair Work Commission if adverse action is taken against an employee for engaging in lawful industrial activity.
The Victorian government will give major warehouses and distributions an extra 48 hours to comply with a lockdown requirement to reduce their staffing to two-thirds of their normal levels.
Virgin Australia's new owner Bain Capital says it will retain about 6000 of 9000 direct jobs, with stood-down employees staying on JobKeeper until March as the airline plots a future based on core domestic and short-haul international routes.
Melbourne employers and employees face fines of up to nearly $100,000 and $20,000 respectively for breaching requirements of the State's worker permit scheme due to commence with stage 4 restrictions imposed from 11.59pm tonight.
