Pressure on Defence talks as employees vote up strike ballot; Tribunal knocks back Queensland Government bid for legal representation; Court halves fine for CFMEU official; and Agreement fails BOOT due to annual leave shortfall.
The Productivity Commission, in its report on aged care, has resisted a call by the nursing union for mandatory staff to resident ratios, but has recommended a new pricing mechanism to provide "fair and competitive" wages for workers in the sector.
IMF backs lifting super contribution to 12%; Labour costs on way up, says Reserve; Victoria calls for ACCC to investigate union role in alleged secondary boycotts; Greens won't return ETU donation; Abetz calls for Fair Work Act review to be brought forward; and Employee protection built into Tasmanian forest restructuring agreement.
A trucking company might have had grounds for summarily dismissing a driver if it had had blood alcohol content testing equipment on site, but it failed procedural fairness requirements when it sacked him based on its observations of his condition, Fair Work Australia has found.
Szoke new Race Discrimination Commissioner; NBN loses IR manager to John Holland; Toyota protected action vote; and Talks break down for Victorian security guards and cleaners.
The Productivity Commission has described workplace flexibility constraints as one of the "major restrictions requiring improvement" in the retail sector and has recommended that the Federal Government examine industry concerns about the Fair Work Act.
As Qantas continues its industrial battles, Virgin Australia has amicably struck a deal with the Flight Attendants Association's international division that shifts 500 long-haul flight attendants off common law contracts and onto a Fair Work agreement.
Fault lines are emerging in Federal Labor's good faith bargaining laws, but at the same time some of employers' key concerns aren't being borne out in tribunal decisions, according to Sydney University's Professor Joellen Riley
