Lawyers have told the Productivity Commission that its proposals to end tenure for new FWC appointees and to subject members to performance reviews would undermine the umpire's independence, while raising concern about a suggestion that only non-lawyers should determine matters in the proposed minimum standards division.
The standard absorption clause will no longer form a part of modern awards, with a five-member full bench ruling that it has served its purpose as a transitional tool.
The FWC has blocked an attempt by maintenance workers servicing mining giant Anglo Coal's Queensland operations to nominate multiple bargaining agents.
The FWC has ordered an employer defending an unfair dismissal claim to produce a consultant's bullying report sought by an employee it sacked after he drew a stylised p-nis on a workplace incident report, while it has refused to effectively "mandate" that the employer be represented by its employer association's lawyer.
Early childhood service providers might face higher wages bills after the Fair Work Commission ruled that their administrative workers can be covered by the modern award for private sector clerks.
Faced with the threat of the closure of Bluescope Steel's Port Kembla steelmaking operation unless significant operational savings can be made, the Fair Work Commission has allowed the company to require maintenance staff to operate machines without any change in pay rates.
A worker with a "dismissive" attitude to OHS who breached his employer's zero alcohol tolerance policy has been compensated because a previous warning was too severe.
A welder's claims that he was "fine" after bingeing on 20 cans of full-strength beer over 12 hours on Australia Day before facing a random breath test at work has failed to impress FWC member Danny Cloghan, who says it "would be greeted with that very Australian saying relating to animal manure".
Despite being lawfully sacked for his inability to return to pre-injury duties, a Qantas baggage handler will be compensated after the FWC found steps leading to the decision were inadequate, confusing and lacked procedural fairness.
