A growing number of professions are running unlawful internship programs that prey on vulnerable young workers, according to a leading employment lawyer.
The FWC has thrown out an employer's argument that a "wide view" of the Fair Work Act allowed it to make four safety officers working on the Gorgon LNG project redundant when they refused to accept a 13% pay cut.
Caltex has established a $20 million "assistance fund" for franchise employees who have been underpaid, but insists that its franchising model does not need fixing.
A court has found an employer underpaid a worker by more than $230,000 because it "recklessly disguised the true legal nature" of a 20-year-plus employment relationship by classifying him as an independent contractor.
The University of Wollongong says it will make good an estimated $10 million shortfall in superannuation contributions – plus interest – for thousands of current and former employees dating back to 2009.
The rapid rise of the "gig" economy has "normalised" sham contracting and exploitation of young workers, according to a submission to a Senate inquiry into corporate avoidance of the Fair Work Act.
The CFMEU expects to lodge an appeal early next week against yesterday's FWC decision to terminate the agreement for AGL Loy Yang's power station and coal mine because of the "intractable" bargaining dispute between the parties.
Leading employment law practitioners have predicted it is only a matter of time before Australia sees a test case similar to UK's recent landmark Uber decision which found drivers were employees, not contractors.
Qantas will provide 10 days domestic and family violence leave and two extra weeks of parental leave to all of its 30,000 employees later this year, after it struck an enterprise deal with the ASU that guarantees the entitlements for more than 4,000 employees.
