Pattern bargaining might be appropriate in the construction industry if subcontractors are given a say in the resulting deal, counsel assisting the Cole Royal Commission told today's first hearing day in Melbourne.
The Senate might quash a new federal regulation that reinstates the exclusion of casuals with less than 12 months' service from claiming unfair dismissal.
A surge in clauses in agreements clearly spelling out union rights is a product of a more hostile industrial environment rather than a rise in union power, according to latest research from ACIRRT.
The IRC will consider on Monday an application by unions to certify an agreement for Yallourn Energy maintenance workers that incorporates the last offer made by the company to workers.
Small businesses could be given further special consideration in unfair dismissal proceedings, under a federal Opposition response to the Government's unfair dismissal bill.
In an test of what constitutes a valid majority, Brisbane City Council has asked the federal and Queensland IRCs to certify its identical federal and State agreements, despite the State agreement being voted down.
Reserve Bank Governor Ian Macfarlane has urged businesses to avoid retrenching employees at the first sign of an earnings downturn in an effort to please the markets.
Unions will appeal against Justice Ron Merkel's crucial Electrolux decision, which cast a shadow over potentially thousands of enterprise agreemements.
The NSW Government has introduced a new bill to stop workers addicted to illegal drugs from claiming they have a disability in the workplace, in a bid to overcome a landmark court ruling.
