The FWC has ordered a health and safety representative to stop organising unprotected strikes for workers maintaining Sydney's trains, after finding no evidence that they faced immediate dangers from an increase in night shifts.
A law firm that forced a solicitor to work "self-evidently excessive" hours and "deprived her of any form of personal autonomy or agency without any rational justification" has been ordered to pay her $50,000 in fines and interest.
In a significant breakthrough for a NTEU excessive workloads case, a FWC full bench has found a university could have breached its agreement by allocating tasks to academics they could not reasonably complete within full-time hours, but it is questioning what, if any, relief would be available.
Ahead of a 10-day full bench hearing of a bid to significantly shake-up the retail award, the ACTU has hit out at employers backing measures to "buy-out" core conditions for workers on as little as $53,680 a year, ditch "smokos" and introduce split shifts.
Workers have no right to disconnect from FWC proceedings and the Commission can order them to attend or give evidence outside of work hours, a presidential member has confirmed.
Professionals Australia has found the inclusion of a disconnect clause in an agreement or award doesn't go far enough and has drafted a model policy to drive the cultural change necessary to enable workers to exercise the right, which took effect in August for most workers.
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.
Employers and unions have confirmed the gulf that exists over 'right to disconnect' laws that come into force today, the former lamenting a lack of FWC guidance on "reasonable" contact and forecasting "conflict and disharmony", while the latter hailed the new provisions as "reclaiming the right to knock off".
The ACTU is recommending the FWC include more "practical detail" in its draft "right to disconnect" award term, to "spell out" what the Commission will consider when it determines whether or not a refusal is unreasonable and is also proposing a review in 12 months.
The proposed "right to disconnect" modern award clause is "mostly suitable", but should clarify that the entitlement is a "workplace right" within the meaning of the Fair Work Act's general protections provisions and specify the dispute resolution procedure to follow, an employment and contract law academic says.
