The New Zealand Labour Party has put industry-wide bargaining on the table ahead of next month's national election after pledging to legislate Fair Pay Agreements endorsed by former conservative Prime Minister Jim Bolger.
As some employers suggest that FWC's minimum wage panel might need to freeze or cut minimum pay due to the coronavirus crisis, the UK has lifted its wage floor to 60% of the median.
A Sydney University think tank has warned that a post-coronavirus reversal of globalisation could reduce labour productivity by up to 12%, when Australia could enjoy a 9% labour efficiency boost by matching world-leading levels of internationalisation.
A leading workplace academic has called on legislators to consider a UK parliamentary inquiry's recommendation to impose a legal obligation to protect workers from sexual harassment, with breaches resulting in "substantial financial penalties".
Union calls for a return to industry-wide bargaining to boost workers' earnings have won the backing of the OECD, which says in its annual global employment report that negotiations across industry sectors can lead to "lower wage inequality".
Fair Work Commission president Iain Ross says the tribunal will investigate establishing "administrative hubs" in suburban centres in order to improve access and reduce costs for the parties.
Any possibility of the FWC moving towards the UK employment tribunal's user-pays regime might have been stymied after its highest court found that recently-introduced fees for individuals of up to $2,000 prevented access to justice and were unlawful.
The WA IRC has found a manager of an Australian-based company working overseas is entitled to pursue a contractual benefits claim, despite performing all but a fortnight of his two years in the job in Sweden.
