Shadow Workplace Relations Minister, Senator Eric Abetz, has delivered a withering response to the Fair Work Act review, while Adelaide University's Professor Andrew Stewart said the evidence in the report supported its conclusion that there was no compelling case for major change.
Employers and unions both lost and won some battles in the Fair Work Act review, released today, but how much of this will translate into legislative change remains unclear, with Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten committing to further consultation before coming to a final position.
The Federal Government should amend the Fair Work Act to reverse the Federal Court's JJ Richards decision on industrial action and its Barclay v Bendigo TAFE ruling on adverse action, and it should make IFAs easier to access, the panel reviewing the legislation has recommended.
Five former insurance sales representatives found last year by the Federal Court to be employees, not independent contractors, have been awarded half a million dollars in accrued annual and long-service leave, with one receiving $333,130.
FWA President Justice Iain Ross has taken the unusual step of heading up a five-member full bench to resolve conflicting decisions on whether enterprise agreements can permit employees to opt out of their coverage.
FWA President Justice Iain Ross says his new Member Conduct Guide has broad support across the tribunal and rejects accusations of double standards on its restrictions on public comment.
The Federal Magistrates Court has fined a company that employed a caretaker couple to be on call 120 hours a week at an Albury retirement village in exchange for accommodation and a weekly allowance of $111.13 in breach of its own greenfields agreement.
Fresh from his central role in the BHP Bowen Basin settlement, former ACTU Secretary Bill Kelty will next week turn his diplomacy skills to the ETU's internal dispute.
The difficulties in seeking a scope order when bargaining is at an advanced stage have been demonstrated in a failed RTBU bid to separate a minority group from the negotiations.
