The CFMEU is waging war against the Victorian Government's construction code and guidelines in two separate adverse action cases in the Federal Court, alleging that major builder Lend Lease and demolition company Eco Recyclers are being excluded from tenders because of union-friendly clauses in their enterprise agreements.
The Federal Court has rejected an employee's claim that a major casino operator waived legal professional privilege when it admitted in court documents that it had obtained legal advice about its investigation of allegations that she was sexually harassed by a colleague at a staff Christmas party. Meanwhile, Visy and the AMWU have settled an adverse action claim.
With students set to return to school next week, the Victorian Government has issued an ultimatum to the teachers' union to withdraw bargaining claims it says infringe the High Court Re AEU decision, or it will ask the Federal Court for an injunction to stop the union's planned February 14 strike.
The Federal Court has fined a labour hire company, a South Australian fast food outlet and their directors for engaging two 15-year-old girls on sham contracting arrangements drawn from the Odco model, but also criticised the Fair Work Ombudsman for delays in bringing the prosecutions.
The Federal Court has found that a Fair Work Australia full bench had sufficient power to overturn the reinstatement of a fighting waterfront worker, but has criticised it for making "sweeping statements".
The Federal Court has overturned an indemnity costs order against an employer after finding that an employee who refused to be redeployed during a company restructure had no right to redundancy entitlements when a year later when he was dismissed because he had been certified as medically unfit for work.
The Fair Work Commission in its workplace determination for Qantas long-haul pilots has rejected the bid by flight crew for new job security clauses and has been reluctant to make significant change ahead of bargaining for a new agreement beginning next year.
A Virgin Australia flight attendant has won his job back after the Fair Work Commission decided that he was unfairly dismissed for failing to cut his hair to comply with the airline's Look Book policy, but he might need to await the result of a full bench appeal before he returns to the skies.
The Federal Court has penalised BHP Coal for taking adverse action against a coal machinery operator it dismissed for holding up an anti-"scab" sign at a Bowen Basin protest and has warned companies that they must take steps to comply with industrial law changes.
A Federal Court full bench majority has found that two Commonwealth-funded employers unlawfully discriminated against intellectually disabled employees by tying wage increases to an assessment tool that had been approved by the national IR tribunal.
