The acting chief justice of the Federal Court has accused the ABCC of bias in pursuing an unfounded coercion case against the plumbing union and its leader while ignoring the sham independent contracting operations and evasion of tax and certified agreement obligations engaged in by a "black economy" company run by a "foul-mouthed industrial cowboy".
An AIRC full bench has upheld a union application for a protected action ballot covering employees across several business units within a single company, in a decision that clarifies the rules governing multi-business agreements.
Former Federal Court Judge Murray Wilcox QC has canvassed the possibility of ensuring greater supervision of the specialist construction division of Fair Work Australia if it retains its coercive powers and has emphasised it would be wrong to assume the new body would be "the ABCC rebadged", saying that "as the song says, 'it ain't necessarily so'".
Unions are preparing to escalate their campaign for a union agreement at Telstra and could take industrial action within a month if they win support from workers.
An AIRC full bench majority has upheld the reinstatement of a rail worker sacked over an angry outburst, after rejecting what it characterised as the "sterile" and "robotic" approach to arbitrating unfair dismissal cases urged by the employer.
AIRC to start consulting on next round of modern awards next month; Charles Darwin University staff reject non-union offer; Four in ten people say 18-week maternity pay proposal "about right"; and Lack of reassignment opportunity a genuine operational reason for sacking employee.
A steel fabricating company unlawfully discriminated against two employees when it sacked them because they were members of the AMWU and seeking better conditions, the Federal Court has ruled.
Teachers' unions in NSW and South Australia are looking to the 6% interim pay rise delivered to WA teachers by new Premier Colin Barnett to give new impetus to their own stalled pay negotiations.
First strike action against Rio Tinto iron ore in 15 years, as train drivers go out; Legal experts start 10-day review of Labor's draft IR law; ABCC hits Washington with legal double-whammy; NSW Teacher's Federation President resigns; and AMWU begins FOA case against Cochlear.
