ACTU secretary Sally McManus will tonight use a "robo-call" to about 500,000 lower and middle-income households to explain the union movement's aims heading into the first of the Morrison Government's IR change discussions tomorrow.
The ACTU says the Morrison Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic had mostly been one of "good beginnings brought down by poor detail", while there are signs of a return to "business as usual".
The ASU says it will object to extending a coronavirus-driven variation to the clerks' award because it has been "superseded" by JobKeeper and Fair Work Act changes, dismissing the employer bid as an attack on the award system.
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.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says that employers will need extra flexibility from the IR system for the economy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The FWC will tomorrow bring down its much-anticipated decision in this year's minimum wage review, with employers calling for a pay freeze due to the pandemic's impact on business and unions arguing for a 4% rise to stimulate the economy.
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.
