The Federal Court has largely declined to take into account the CFMMEU's "recidivism" in setting a penalty against it for an organiser's unintended racial slur when he complained to a supervisor of southeast Asian background about the "third world" state of a Perth building site.
The CFMMEU's engagement of a former FWC presidential member to coach its officials has paid dividends after the Federal Court reduced an organiser's fines after considering his evidence the training had "helped me with the emotional side of the job".
A court has awarded $67,000 to a construction worker "crushed" by his foreman's suggestion that he would end up earning 50% less on non-union jobs if he didn't re-join the CFMMEU.
The Federal Opposition has failed to extract an apology from the ABCC following judicial criticism of its handling of a recent case against the CFMMEU, the construction watchdog shooting back that it acted "highly appropriately" for a model litigant.
In a ruling reinforcing the wisdom of heeding FWO compliance notices, an online directory and its director have despite pleas they would be "crippled" been fined more than $18,000 for failing to rectify underpayments on time.
A hospitality business and its director have been hit with a $36,000 fine after they "snubbed their noses" at the FWC by failing to comply on time with orders to pay an unfairly sacked barista $5780 compensation.
An aged care facility manager accusing a HR manager of "gaslighting" her by failing to reveal she was being investigated claims she returned from leave to find a complaints meeting underway in her own office.
The Federal Court has described the CFMMEU's construction and general division and four of its officials as having "taken the odds" when assuming there was no statutory requirement for them to show entry permits when accessing a major project site.
