New good faith bargaining rules in the Fair Work Bill might provide a useful tool for employers to hold unions to account for the tactics they adopt in bargaining negotiations, Arnold Bloch Leibler partner Henry Skene says.
An IR advisor to former Prime Minister John Howard when Work Choices was introduced has labelled as "a disgrace" the response to Labor's Fair Work Bill by "certain employer organisations", while the former minister responsible for introducing the Howard Government's IR laws, Kevin Andrews, has criticised the "alacrity" with which employer groups have welcomed the "return of the old industrial relations club".
Productivity is down, labour costs are up marginally, the wages share of the economy has hit a 44-year low and the profit share has reached the highest level in the 49 years records have been kept, according to national accounts data released by the ABS today.
Noel Washington may no longer be facing jail, but thousands of building workers and their supporters today went ahead with the rallies around the country that were planned to coincide with the start of his trial.
While Shadow IR Minister Michael Keenan yesterday nominated right of entry, low-paid bargaining, compulsory arbitration, transmission of business, and bargaining fees as the areas where the Coalition was likely to seek Senate amendments to the Government's Fair Work Bill, hardline Opposition members have warned they will vote against the legislation despite their Leader's "Work Choices is dead" pronouncement.
WA IRC launches free mediation service; Hefty fines for employers under new Victorian wage protection laws; Execs doubt paid maternity leave will increase women in workforce; 5000 Telstra employees register interest in non-union agreement; Fewer public servants doing more work to pay for Rudd's efficiency dividend; McCallum elected to UN Committee; TWU's Sheldon to quit NSW secretary job; and EOWA releases its 2007-08 annual report
The Fair Work Bill's agreement rules radically depart from 15 years of history, with changes such as removing the distinction between union and non-union agreements. But in league with the good faith bargaining provisions, the agreement rules give unions an opportunity to rebuild, particularly in partly-unionised workplaces, according to the national legal officer for the CFMEU (mining and energy division).
The NTEU has won an order for a protected action ballot at Victoria University after the AIRC accepted it was not pursuing prohibited content in negotiations.
The Federal Court has found that Melbourne electrical parts manufacturer Heinemann Electric Pty Ltd underpaid 35 workers when it docked them an entire day's pay on each of five days they held overtime bans in mid-2006.
