A new report commissioned by Australia's largest general insurance company has sounded the alarm on the increasing number of independent contractors who are missing out on workers' compensation, income protection, leave, superannuation and other entitlements enjoyed by employees.
Retailers and aviation industry employers are being urged to improve efforts to stamp out workplace sexual harassment and better handle complaints amid AHRC and Qantas surveys confirming that the vast majority of incidents continue to go unreported.
The Federal Court has rejected a bid by the FWO and CFMMEU to upset a major labour hire company's treatment of workers as independent contractors, finding the service agreement signed by the parties transparently spelt out the true nature of their relationship.
The Federal Court has frozen the assets of two former Spotlight Pty Ltd employees who allegedly took millions of dollars in secret commissions from a supplier.
The FWC has upheld the sacking of a BHP Coal mineworker who punched a supervisor in the face and asked a colleague if she had "fake t-ts" at a company Christmas party, but has reinstated another employee dismissed for serious misconduct at the same event.
In a decision that potentially moves the dial on how much the 21-day deadline for unfair dismissal claims can be stretched, the FWC has in discerning no practical consequences granted an extension to a worker who lodged their form 29 minutes after midnight on a Friday.
Inconsistent decisions, a fragmented legal framework and an inadequate licensing regime for private investigators are combining to create uncertainty for those involved in workplace investigations, according to an academic who is calling for regulatory overhaul.
A large employer's decision to excise union references from its representational rights notice has scuppered its proposed agreement, the FWC observing that employees were effectively being "herded" towards two colleagues who had negotiated the previous deal.
An FWC full bench has rejected IR Minister Christian Porter's bid to review an already-approved agreement on the basis that it contains discriminatory terms, while it has allowed changes "entirely disposing" of any lingering ambiguities.
