Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey has announced that he will amend the Workplace Relations Act to allow unions and employer organisations to remain federally-registered if they don't have a majority of members covered by the federal IR system.
Almost 18% of workers regularly performing unpaid overtime, says ABS; DEWR wins AWA war on its own turf; CPSU calls for choice of agreement for new Workplace Authority employees; AFP confirms investigation into AWA data leak; Business SA's Fisher to replace Vanstone in Senate; Howard Government seeks $455,000 for HEWRRs freedom of information request; Big fines for directors over death of young labourer; Women worst hit by precarious working conditions, says research; and "Presenteeism" costing $25.7b per year: study.
The ALP will vote for the Federal Government's safety net amendments, despite attacking them as an "election stunt" and dismissing the new fairness test as "fake."
DEWR still has 3.5 million outmoded Work Choices booklets in storage at a cost of $54,000 a year, while the Government is spending up to $5m to advertise the Government's latest fairness test changes, as part of a $54m, three-year campaign, a Senate Estimates committee heard yesterday.
The Howard Government will provide $370m in extra funding for administration and enforcement of the safety net changes introduced into Parliament today, including more than $100m in the next financial year.
Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey has this evening introduced legislation to introduce a no disadvantage test for workplace agreements, including AWAs applying to workers on base pay of $75,000 or less.
Employment Advocate Peter McIlwain, who will be responsible for administering the new fairness test, has today been accused by Labor senators of being misleading and evasive in his answers to Senate committee questions about the OEA's collection of data on removal of protected conditions under AWAs.
Legislative amendments to protect employees who ask about their employment entitlements has passed the Victorian Parliament, after Labor combined with the Nationals and Liberals to defeat further changes sought by the Greens in the Upper House.
A NSW hospital has been ordered to pay a nurse $26,000 in damages for discriminating against her and victimising her by failing to return her to her previous duties when she resumed work after maternity leave.
