The Rudd Government will require tenderers for Government contracts to establish that their employment arrangements comply with "Fair Work principles", under a raft of changes to policies underpinning $24 billion in federal purchasing that AWU leader Paul Howes described today as the most significant change in industry policy in more than 15 years.
The construction unions have urged the Senate committee inquiring into the Federal Government’s industry-specific IR bill to not let allegations of violence and criminal behaviour cloud the reality that the legislation – like the Howard Government’s before it - deals with breaches of industrial, not criminal, law.
$12 flat increase for Tasmanian award-based workers; Virgin's Godfrey takes softer line ahead of cabin crew ballot result; and Brunel does Fair Work greenfields deal with unions.
John Holland Constructions has asked FWA to resolve the union demarcation dispute over work on the Westgate Bridge project by handing sole coverage to the AWU, in what would be the first use of representation order provisions under the Fair Work laws.
A wide range of building industry participants will be eligible to apply to have coercive powers switched off on their projects, but fewer may be able to succeed, under new IR regulations flagged by Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard.
Employers in the past year have granted almost 70% of employee bids for flexibility and rejected 10%, ahead of employees next year gaining legislative backing for their right to make such requests, according to University of SA researchers.
Climate change creates a "whole new possibility" for worker mobilisation, says Pocock; TWU to bargain for SA milk vendors; Obama announces new Equal Employment Opportunity Chair; US federal minimum wage increases today; BA pilots agree to pay cut; Health care, environment sectors will drive US labour market: report; Amendment to restriction on re-hiring of redundant parliamentary staff; Bendigo Bank proceeding with unpaid leave plan; and Changes to article on FWA conciliators
Virgin Blue has informed its cabin crew that if they vote down a proposed enterprise agreement a second time in a ballot that closes Sunday, it will seek to terminate the nominally-expired deal that regulates their wages and conditions and move rapidly to implement the key hours and rostering changes it wants.
The AMWU and AWU have put aside traditional hostilities to form a manufacturing alliance to push for measures - including local sourcing on infrastructure projects and assistance for employers to train workers facing retrenchment - to protect the sector from further job losses. The two unions will vote together on manufacturing resolutions at next week's ALP national conference.
A law firm has been ordered to pay a former client $45,000 after it failed to tell him of an offer it had received from his ex-employer to settle an ongoing employment dispute.
