The Federal Government's release yesterday of its new National Employment Standards plus its revised award modernisation request have answered many significant questions about the safety net under Forward with Fairness, but there are still pieces of the jigsaw missing.
The Federal Magistrates Court has ordered Darrell Lea Chocolate Shops Pty Ltd to pay $120,000 in penalties for coercing 12 casual employees to sign AWAs, after finding it was a "big company that should have done better" and showed itself to be "surprisingly unsophisticated" on HR matters.
The AIRC will create a modern award to cover non-managerial employees in award-free frontier industries and occupations, after Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard today modified her award modernisation request.
NSW Nurses' Association general secretary Brett Holmes has won a $70,000 damages award after the Supreme Court found he was defamed in a letter sent by NSW Nationals MP Andrew Fraser during last year's state election campaign.
Della Bosca stands down while Iguanas incident investigated; Battle ends between Sparkes and partner; Air traffic controllers' union seeks 50% rise for trainees; Emerson calls for unions to focus on offering services; and ACCI to have "more rounded" message, needs more employer members, says Anderson.
One of unions' major objections to AWAs - employers' ability to offer them on a take-it-or-leave-it basis - is now the subject of a further battle in the award modernisation process, with the AiG arguing that arrangements made under the model flexibility clause should be able to be offered as a condition of employment.
The Workplace Ombudsman has asked the AIRC to ensure that the enterprise flexibility clause that will be included in modernised awards safeguards genuine agreement-making between employers and employees and, if duress does occur, allows it to initiate court action.
Part-time work in Australia has tripled in the past 40 years, reaching the second highest level in the world, but part-time jobs are not lower paid or of poor quality, according to new Productivity Commission research.
