The Federal Court has suppressed a Channel Seven producer's statement of claim and other documents lodged in connection with her general protections claim, saying that releasing details of alleged workplace behaviours would reduce the chances of achieving a mediated outcome by taking a "bargaining chip" off the table.
The FWC has made it clear that HR managers should not inform employees about company policies as a "tick and flick" exercise, finding an employer harshly sacked a worker who had no understanding of his unacceptable behaviour when he bullied a colleague for supposedly "sucking up" to their manager.
In a case that underlines the Commission's challenges in dealing with self-represented parties, a FWC member has refused to step back from hearing an anti-bullying claim, finding that a worker's 18 grounds for recusal, including the "unjust removal" of the worker's advocate from a hearing, had "no logical connection" with any possibility of bias.
In a warning to employers undertaking investigations of workplace complaints, the FWC has ordered a mushroom grower to compensate a former harvest team leader sacked on the basis of "scanty" hearsay evidence and the "sheer number" of allegations about bullying and racial discrimination.
FWC President Adam Hatcher is seeking feedback by October 25 on draft same-job, same-pay guidelines, including on whether the Commission should publish them.
A NDIS provider has refuted allegations it took unlawful adverse action by sacking a worker because of her autism spectrum disorder, with a FWC consent arbitration finding her efforts to rescue a dog and dispose of a client's medication exceeded the scope of her duties.
As the Albanese Government considers whether to restrict non-compete clauses, new research from the e61 Institute shows that workers in companies using them alongside non-disclosure agreements earn 4% less than those with employers that only rely on NDAs.
A FWC full bench comprising the tribunal's three most senior members has issued a same-job, same-pay order sought by an individual on-hire mineworker placed at South32's Cannington silver, lead and zinc mine in Queensland who claimed it would lift his pay and that of hundreds of co-workers by 60%.
The FAAA says Qantas long haul cabin crew have overwhelmingly voted up a deal variation that will boost the pay of those employed by an in-house labour hire arm by up to 30%, and it is crediting the Albanese Government's same-job, same-pay reforms for a major breakthrough on their employment arrangements.
The Albanese Government's 10-day paid family and domestic violence leave entitlement is "appropriate and sufficient" and the scheme is operating as intended, but poor awareness and evidentiary requirements are preventing its full utilisation, according to the report of an independent review, tabled in federal parliament today.
