The incoming Rudd Government will take transitional legislation for its IR changes to the next sitting of federal parliament early next year to ban new AWAs, define its 10 minimum employment standards and start the AIRC on the award simplification process.
The new Rudd Labor Government will probably have to negotiate with cross-bench senators to pass its changes to Work Choices, while the Coalition’s national director has blamed the legislation for the Howard Government’s defeat.
Workers at a major engineering workshop in the La Trobe Valley who staged an indefinite strike and were also locked out indefinitely during a bargaining dispute have won redundancy pay from their employer, which is now in administration, despite having rejected an offer of four years' work.
The federal CFMEU has lost another challenge to AIRC orders giving exclusive representation rights to transitionally registered state unions in line with previous state demarcation orders.
The ASU is likely to recommend members accept a new bargaining offer from Qantas for 3% annual pay rises after the airline withdrew some of its key demands, including on the classification of E-check-in hosts, unrestricted use of casuals and temporary staff, abolishing RDOs for IT employees, and reducing minimum part-time hours.
The AIRC has awarded a former NSW State Rail Authority employee 20 weeks' pay in compensation for her unfair dismissal on medical grounds, despite finding she was "aggressive, belligerent and obstructive" and that her conduct might have warranted sacking for misconduct.
A Federal Court full bench has ruled that the NSW IRC lacks the power under Work Choices to make awards on excluded matters such as long service leave that will bind constitutional corporations.
Correction to AWA long service story; Howard says again that the IR balance is right; Greens might be in powerful position on IR; and Aggressive, belligerent and obstructive employee wins unfair dismissal payout.
Australia has much weaker regulation of "economic" dismissals than Germany, the UK, Ireland and NZ, according to a new comparative study released by the Victorian Workplace Rights Advocate.
Labor would not negotiate changes to its IR policies with the Greens if they win the balance of power in the Senate after this week's federal election, according to Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd.
