A union delegate has been reinstated after the FWC determined that the absence of managerial opposition to a brief on-site "undies" protest meant it failed the legislative definition of unlawful industrial action.
In a decision signalling potential judicial pushback against so-called "sham" agreements, a Federal Court has quashed a two-year-old deal approved by three employees that now covers more than 1000 mining services workers, ruling that the employer made inadequate efforts to explain a document benchmarked against 11 different awards.
The FWC has reinstated a CFMEU lodge president dismissed for a series of threatening phone calls to workmates after questioning why recommendations and mitigating factors raised during a senior HR advisor's investigations were absent from the employer's final report.
An FWC member denied a sacked worker an opportunity to re-open his case when she failed to forward to him a crucial psychologist's report her chambers received hours after the hearing concluded, a full bench has found.
Fair Work Commission president Iain Ross says the tribunal will investigate establishing "administrative hubs" in suburban centres in order to improve access and reduce costs for the parties.
The head of the FWC's bullying jurisdiction and a public service commissioner who oversees implementation of domestic violence workplace policies say they have ditched labels and are using more empowering approaches to dealing with domestic violence and bullying.
A law firm chief executive's "abrasive" email to 80 lawyers warning that "the lion will soon be catching up with any sick zebras" has come back to bite him, the FWC finding that he unfairly dismissed a senior associate given two weeks' notice for allegedly threatening legal action.
The FWC has suspended a CFMEU divisional branch leader's entry permit for three months after he raised his hand in a "solidarity symbol" at a senior project manager.
