As the FWC minimum wage panel draws closer to a determination in its annual review, a discussion paper based on surveys of more than 700,000 "lesser skilled" Americans has questioned whether policymakers need to consider mechanisms other than minimum pay rates as a means of improving health outcomes for low-paid workers.
The FWC has changed tack on its plain language re-write of three major awards and is now planning to conduct further consultations before it starts the drafting process.
A senior member of the Federal Court's IR panel has warned that litigation is inevitable if those who draft enterprise agreements use euphemisms to conceal the parties' differences on terms.
The Fair Work Commission will consider allowing employers covered by the retail award to pay a higher "loaded" rate of pay in lieu of penalty rates and overtime pay.
A university study of international students' employment conditions in food services shows they are receiving as little as $8 an hour and a median of $17, well below the award rate of about $21.
Lawler takes on Cash; Perpetrators not entitled to domestic violence leave, says ACTU; PC floats new approach to allocating default super funds; and FWC president refuses to re-open crucial labour hire ruling.
An FWO inquiry into housekeeping services reveals that exploitation of vulnerable, overseas workers is rife within the industry, as one of Australia's largest hotel and resort operators agrees to enter into enforceable undertakings with the watchdog in a bid to avoid proceedings over an independent contracting model it established that robbed workers of their correct wages and conditions.
The FWC has released a report on its plain English transformation of the pharmacy award and issued guidelines for plain English drafting, before it gives similar treatment to the clerks, retail, hospitality and restaurant awards.
The Fair Work Commission will engage an external "plain language expert" to redraft the Pharmacy Award before it is user-tested in a pilot as part of the tribunal's four-yearly review of modern awards.
Awards should be limited to one per industry, with the FWC establishing a "new definition for unsociable hours" for each of them and determining "economy-wide" penalty rates, Business Council chief executive Jennifer Westacott has told a Sydney University gathering.
