The Coalition emerged today from a lengthy party room debate without a clear position on IR, with leader Malcolm Turnbull outlining the Opposition's proposed amendments to the Fair Work bill but failing to say if it would vote against the legislation if those amendments were defeated. Meanwhile, as Senate negotiations continue, the minor parties' positions are becoming clearer.
The AWU and CFMEU are at odds on the ALP's changes to greenfields provisions in its Fair Work Bill, while the AMMA is continuing to press for current entry provisions to be retained.
Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard will introduce more employer-friendly rules for greenfields agreements but has held firm on union entry rights in the latest round of changes to the Fair Work Bill, revealed yesterday.
US President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package and his Middle Class Taskforce both focus on seeking to increase "green jobs" - but what are they and how do they differ from other jobs?
As Senate crossbench members prepare to put their proposed Fair Work Bill amendments to Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard this afternoon, the ACTU has ramped up pressure on the Coalition to support the legislation, launching a new television commercial and a new survey that it says demonstrates public support for fairer workplace laws.
Amidst the current round of job shedding, companies - many of which have just come out of a skills shortage - are also looking at other means of reducing labour costs during the global financial crisis, though not always in ways approved of by unions. Workplace Express today looks at downtime in the car industry; shorter hours in components manufacturing; EDS's proposed pay cuts; Medibank Private's bid to make full-time work part-time; and requests from WA companies to "do an Alcoa".
We won't give Labor carte blanche on IR, says Keenan; No appeals on 100 employees exemption: AIRC; WA CSA organiser wins top ACTU gong; Appeal court overturns $70K defamation payout to nurses' union leader; Justice Schmidt declines to stand aside from OHS prosecution; MBA defends Cole Royal Commission; and New book on Fair Work laws.
The Federal Court has found the CFMEU guilty of contempt for defying a court order requiring it to stop blocking access to the New Royal Children's Hospital building site in Melbourne.
The ACTU will launch legal action to have the Liberal National Party in Queensland withdraw an advertisement that it says copies the colours, style and even slogan of the Your Rights at Work campaign.
