Arbitration of SA teachers' dispute begins; SA Unions seeks 3.9% increase; ABCC to appeal right of entry ruling; Melbourne Uni staff threaten strike over job cuts; Two workers owed $20,000, says FWO; and New members on super review panel.
A Federal Magistrate has criticised the ABCC for arguing "diametrically opposite" positions in two recent proceedings and described as "arguably misleading" fact sheets on right of entry it provided to the public.
Fair Work Australia will order a ballot to resolve whether the AMWU has majority support among workers at hearing device manufacturer Cochlear, which suggested today that up to 10 of the 171 employee survey forms the union is relying on in its majority support application could be fraudulent.
The Rudd Government has agreed to meet next month with unions and Labor state governments that continue to harbour concerns about harmonisation of OHS, as part of a deal to pass a series of minor amendments to the party’s IR platform at its biennial conference today.
The AWU has applied to Fair Work Australia for a majority support determination covering workers at funeral services company Invocare, becoming the first Victorian union to use the new provision.
The MBA has called on the Federal Government not to proceed with the passage of its construction IR bill, maintaining that in "bowing so far to union resentment of the ABCC's powers" it threatens a return to the "bad old days when the law of the jungle prevailed". The ACTU, meanwhile, "reluctantly" wants the bill passed with further safeguards, despite "deep disappointment" that it retains coercive powers.
The construction industry is set to endure a slump in activity that could see 81,000 jobs lost over the next three years, according to a new Access Economics report; and the AWU and AMWU will join employer and Government representatives on a body created to drive innovation in the steel industry.
Virgin Blue Airlines has applied to terminate the nominally-expired agreement covering its cabin crew, after a resounding majority voted down a replacement deal for the second time.
