FWC President Adam Hatcher says there are early indications the tribunal's new powers are starting to influence bargaining behaviour, while he is also urging legal and HR practitioners to look into a recent case that "signposts a way to remedy gender undervaluation at the granular workplace level".
In a matter closely examining when building workers can down tools in response to potential safety risks, a court has found that two union officials breached workplace laws when involved in effectively shutting down a major construction site over concerns about a fire hydrant and a belligerent project manager said to pose a "psycho-social hazard".
BHP says it has made a "comprehensive offer" to train drivers who have overwhelmingly endorsed taking protected industrial action, including strikes and a cap on speed limits, at the company’s massive iron ore operations in Western Australia's Pilbara region.
The Closing Loopholes Bill is unlikely to reduce reliance on long-term casual employment and will not expose employers to "unnecessary uncertainty", a leading IR law academic says, contradicting barrister Stuart Wood's recent advice to the BCA.
Victoria's Allen Labor Government has introduced legislation to overhaul the state's troubled WorkCover scheme, despite strong pushback from unions over new curbs on mental injury claims and time limits on longer-term claims.
A BHP OS employee has lauded Whitehaven Coal for its plan to shift him onto agreement terms and conditions after taking over two of the Big Australian's Bowen Basin coal mines, in evidence today to the inquiry into the Closing Loopholes Bill, while the inquiry's chair said he will seek a response from the BHP board about why it hasn't reported to the ASX its claim that the legislation will increase its costs by $1.3 billion.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has committed to make significant changes in the way the Closing Loopholes Bill treats casual work, according to the Australian Hotels Association.
Climate change needs to shift from the margins to the centre of IR concerns as the economy and society undergo their largest transformation since the end of feudalism, while a "just transition" process underway in a WA coal mining town shows the way, according to an IR academic.
A judge has lamented the shortage of "common sense" on display in a case in which a union contends a government agency breached its agreement's secure jobs and consultation provisions when it engaged a roadworks contractor.
