Today’s ministerial council meeting in Adelaide – the first since the passage of the Fair Work Act - confirmed that Victoria will make a new referral of IR powers to Canberra that will take effect from July 1, while any referrals by other states will apply from January 1 next year.
The Wilcox report on the future regulation of the construction industry has drawn fire from both sides of the IR divide today, with employers saying his recommendations go too far and unions not far enough.
Special laws for the building and construction industry should be largely abolished, but a new division within the Fair Work Ombudsman should retain compulsory examination powers, Murray Wilcox QC has told the Government.
Longstanding tensions within the HSU's Victorian (No 1) branch erupted into open warfare yesterday after complaints were made to police over the conduct of two of the union's most senior officials.
Royal Assent for Fair Work Bill likely mid next week; First case under WR Act's marital status ground for unlawful termination; Victorian train drivers just beat Work Choices disamalgamation deadline; Consultant takes umbrage at WO chief counsel's comments; and Gender pay gap narrows for Generation Y, but men still way ahead over lifetime.
The Federal Government's decision to move to market rates for 457 visa holders will take effect from mid-September while employers will have to pay a 4.1% increase to minimum salary levels from July 1, under changes to the 457 visa system announced by Immigration Minister Senator Chris Evans.
The Workplace Ombudsman's chief counsel last night revealed his three-year-old organisation had never prosecuted a member of an employer organisation, saying their sound advice to members was the best "insurance policy" against intervention by IR enforcement agencies.
Three of Australia's big banks have ended their long freeze on collective bargaining and the fourth, NAB, is preparing to extend its existing enterprise agreement, according to the Finance Sector Union.
A court has ordered two workers to pay more than $200,000 in compensation to their former employer, after finding they caused him to lose earnings and to sell his business at a discount when they covertly went into competition with him and diverted custom while still in his employ.
