Williams says referral bill a milestone; State awards still relevant post-2011, says Stewart; and S-x bias complaints up, according to Sex Discrimination Commissioner.
The head of Fair Work Australia, Justice Geoffrey Giudice, has been caught up in a political wrangle over an attempt by the Opposition to have him appear before Senate Estimate hearings this week.
State awards that move to the national system will continue to operate for a year before terminating in 2011 under a new bill introduced into federal parliament today that gives effect to the South Australian and Tasmanian IR referrals.
Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard has today introduced legislation to update the state referral provisions in the Fair Work Act and to provide a smooth transition to the new regime, via mechanisms such as providing state employers referred to the national system an extra year before they move onto modern awards.
KFC wins first single interest employer authorisation; Qantas engineers consider action; Another fine for CFMEU over unlawful action; Employers must receive ballot order application: FWA; and Giudice to speak on FWA's early days.
The fate of South Australia's IR referral legislation is in the hands of the six crossbench members of the Upper House, after the State's Liberals flagged they would oppose the handover. Meanwhile, Victoria is amending its referral bill to align it with referrals by other States and the Rudd Government will tomorrow seek to amend the Fair Work Act to reflect the referral deals agreed with the States.
A South Australian company whose redundant workers were taken on by another employer has failed in its bid to have its award severance obligations varied or set aside, with FWA holding it didn't have jurisdiction to make such a ruling under the federal IR legislation's transitional arrangements.
In a landmark ruling, Fair Work Australia has given the green light to the introduction of random drug and alcohol testing – but with crucial safeguards - at Caltex's Kurnell refinery.
FWO conducting 20 investigations into union conduct; "Unnerving" practitioner criticised in costs decision; CFMEU (NSW) branch locks in Multiplex deal; Access predicts jobless recovery; and Slater and Gordon wins LHMU legal work in Victoria
In an important ruling on after-hours conduct, Fair Work Australia has upheld a Lion Nathan subsidiary's dismissal - to protect the company's reputation - of a worker who drove his private car when three times over the alcohol limit during his leisure time.
