A four-member FWC full bench has formally put on hold a review of the right to disconnect provisions, due to a paucity of case law, but recent commentary by tribunal president Adam Hatcher and leading labour law academic Andrew Stewart indicate the jury is still out on the reasons for the litigation deficit and the impacts of the reforms.
A FAAA bid to overhaul flight attendants' modern award based on gender-based undervaluation and changes to the nature of their work over the past two decades is seeking to boost pay rates by up to 62%, to a level beyond what some are paid under their agreements.
FWC President Adam Hatcher has departed from RTAG advice in scheduling a truck driver's bid to vary the long distance road transport award ahead of hearings from the middle of next year to deal with four key TWU gig food/beverage delivery, last-mile delivery minimum standards and road transport contractual chain cases.
The Australian Industry Group says that its clerks award WFH proposal is "far less drastic than the unions appear to suggest", in its newly-published response to ASU and ACTU concerns that it might conflict with the new penalty rates legislation and the NES.
FWC President Adam Hatcher has asked parties to the SCHADS award gender undervaluation case to consider participating in an ASU-proposed conference to resolve outstanding issues, saying that if it proceeds, he will give any consensus deal arising from it "significant weight".
The ASU will forge ahead with nationwide protests tomorrow despite the Australian Industry Group's accusations that it is engaging in unlawful retaliation and intimidation, ahead of a hearing of the SCHADS award gender undervaluation case on Monday.
The FWC might hear the landmark working from home case in early December, after FWC President Adam Hatcher today acceded to an AIG request for a short delay to provide time for submissions on jurisdictional issues unions have raised, related to the National Employment Standards and the recently-passed penalty rates protection legislation.
Ahead of a 17-day full bench hearing of the shop union's junior rates case from October 20, the FWC has published summaries of the "substantial" evidence, which show that the AiG is arguing that lower rates create an incentive to employ young people, and RAFFWU characterising junior wages as a form of "child labour exploitation".
