The Rudd Government has confirmed that it is looking closely at New Zealand's trial of a temporary unskilled labour scheme, while former AMWU national secretary and now NSW Senator-elect Doug Cameron has warned that the rise of far-Right forces, exploitation of overseas workers, and undermining of local wages and conditions were all potential consequences of big rises in unskilled immigration.
The President of the NSW IRC, Justice Roger Boland, has rejected as unconvincing arguments in favour of centralising IR in Canberra, and said it was a pity the Rudd Government didn't have greater regard for the NSW system in developing "Forward with Fairness".
In their submissions to the Bracks review of local car manufacturing, unions and car components manufacturers are pushing for the negotiation of a union-industry framework agreement to provide for orderly restructuring of an industry facing a crisis arising from serious economic and environmental challenges.
The UK's "right to request provisions" - the model for the flexibility regime for pre-school-aged children proposed by the Rudd Government - are about to be extended to cover parents of children up to 16 years old.
The AIRC is set to hear an appeal that will test for the first time under Work Choices the ability of unions to obtain a s496 order against an employer lockout.
The AiG has spelt out in detail where it stands on the key aspects of the Rudd Government's Forward with Fairness policy still to be dealt with in its substantive legislation, arguing that good faith bargaining should still not require an employer to make a collective agreement, and that January 2010 should be when the whole new IR system becomes operational.
AIRC says Qantas within rights to cancel engineers’ leave; ABCC prosecuting CFMEU and organisers over alleged false statements; Pilots’ union seeks to extend Virgin coverage; NSW wage bench reserves decision, WA case starts Monday; and Big greenhouse liabilities another reason not to sell or lease NSW power sector, say unions.
Working women's centres in the NT and SA have been given a 12-month lifeline, after the Federal Government this week agreed to interim funding. However, the Queensland centre has missed out on any help from Canberra.
CFMEU WA branch OHS advisor Darren Kavanagh has confirmed he will challenge his union's secretary, Kevin Reynolds, in the election scheduled late this year.
The Federal Court has thrown out an ACCC case against the CFMEU (construction division), the union's national secretary Dave Noonan and a former ACT organiser, rejecting its claim that they breached trade practices law by colluding with a major construction company against hiring a sub-contractor who took on workers as labour-hire contractors, not employees.
