New Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth is hoping to harness the power of unions and employer groups to boost workplace compliance and has indicated that she intends to put her experience with the FWC's Collaborative Approaches program to good use.
The Australian Hotels Association has defended its "constructive" approach to negotiations with the Albanese Government on casuals provisions in the Loopholes Bill, after it won concessions that peak body ACCI and other employer organisations say should be rejected.
The FWC looks set to arbitrate the bargaining deadlock at Fire Rescue Victoria next year, after it scheduled a hearing date next month to hear threshold issues arising from its first intractable bargaining declaration.
FWC President Adam Hatcher says there are early indications the tribunal's new powers are starting to influence bargaining behaviour, while he is also urging legal and HR practitioners to look into a recent case that "signposts a way to remedy gender undervaluation at the granular workplace level".
In a matter closely examining when building workers can down tools in response to potential safety risks, a court has found that two union officials breached workplace laws when involved in effectively shutting down a major construction site over concerns about a fire hydrant and a belligerent project manager said to pose a "psycho-social hazard".
The Closing Loopholes Bill is unlikely to reduce reliance on long-term casual employment and will not expose employers to "unnecessary uncertainty", a leading IR law academic says, contradicting barrister Stuart Wood's recent advice to the BCA.
A judge has lamented the shortage of "common sense" on display in a case in which a union contends a government agency breached its agreement's secure jobs and consultation provisions when it engaged a roadworks contractor.
In a significant ruling on agreement coverage, a full Federal Court has found that two Catholic school teachers are entitled to pay rises contained in new deals despite resigning before they took effect.
ALDI has assured workers it will provide backpay this week for before and after shift duties it might have required of them, after the SDA launched a class action to pursue alleged underpayments totalling as much as $150 million over the past six years.
The Victorian Government, the State's Trades Hall and the ASU are calling for the Albanese Government to stick to its pre-election commitment to enact a carve-out in the Closing Loopholes Bill so that state wage theft laws can continue to operate.
