The main protagonists have landed their last blows ahead of Sunday penalty rate cuts coming into effect this weekend, United Voice calling on restaurant and pub patrons to pressure bosses over whether they value their staff, while AiG insists that July 1's parallel "hefty" minimum wage rise not only sees workers better off, but saddles employers with bigger wage bills.
An employer who refused requests by police and an OHS inspector to allow two CFMEU officials onto her building site to investigate a Facebook-notified safety issue has avoided an $18,500 penalty because the union's notice of entry did not include the officials' middle names.
The Fair Work Commission will next week hear the Andrews Government's bid to suspend a two-month lockout of about 200 workers by Carter Holt Harvey Wood Products in central Victoria.
Just a week after RBA Governor Philip Lowe called for workers to push for bigger wage rises, the FWC has approved a deal that secures increases of just 2% a year for his own 1000-strong workforce, but with the prospect, for some, of also winning performance-based bonuses.
The Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating whether Uber's engagement of drivers complies with Australian workplace laws, in what might be a test of the legal status of gig economy employment arrangements.
The Franchise Council of Australia says it will continue to lobby for changes to the Turnbull Government's legislation to protect vulnerable workers, which has been delayed until at least August.
