The AIRC today refused the ANF's mass applications for ballots for industrial action by about 25,000 public sector nurses after expressing concern that notifications for the bargaining periods with more than 140 employers could have breached Work Choices' prohibition on seeking multi-employer agreements.
The Federal Government's Independent Contractors Act and its sham contractor amendments to the Workplace Relations Act have opened the way for new legal remedies in contract disputes, according to Turner Freeman Lawyers partner Steven Penning.
The Federal Court has fined Bovis Lend Lease $100,000 and restrained it for four years from entering into an agreement with the CFMEU (construction division) over hiring of subcontractors, in a trade practices action brought by the ACCC.
In one of the first decisions of its kind, the AIRC has allowed an employer to transfer to a federal award from a preserved state award that DEWR had found was in breach of the building industry code and guidelines, which meant the firm's access to government contracts was at risk.
Another Tasmanian tavern that was subject to an OWS investigation has been fined $24,750 and its part-owner and manager penalised as individuals after the Federal Magistrate's Court found them guilty of AWA duress.
Federal Labor has confirmed it would protect independent contractors from union interference in letters of reassurance to the Independent Contractors Association and the HIA.
Employers should be careful what they wish for in increasingly individualised workplaces because they can be expensive and demanding for businesses, according to the chair of the UK Government's Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), Rita Donaghy.
The first report in a comprehensive five-year study of Australians at work was mired in political controversy on its release today, with both Treasurer Peter Costello and Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey claiming it was discredited because it was part-funded by unions.
Eureka flags on building sites may breach guidelines, says ABCC; WA sends 25,000 fairness test warning notices; and ACCI rejects worker advocacy centre plan.
