A court has thrown out an FWO underpayment case on behalf of four delivery drivers it argued were employees rather than independent contractors, the judge narrowly finding that all parties intended to operate at arm's length when originally formalising their relationship.
In a ruling reinforcing the wisdom of heeding FWO compliance notices, an online directory and its director have despite pleas they would be "crippled" been fined more than $18,000 for failing to rectify underpayments on time.
WA's McGowan Government has again introduced legislation boosting anti-bullying and sexual harassment laws, inspector powers and penalties for non-compliance as part of an overhaul of its State IR system.
A senior manager is seeking penalties and declarations against a public utility, claiming he was sacked after accusing his direct supervisor of fraudulent or corrupt behaviour.
Three in five women encounter difficulties at work due to menopause and many are leaving at what might be the "peak of their experience", according to a UK inquiry that is hearing how to provide better support.
COVID-19 drove the FWC to conduct almost 70% of its proceedings remotely in 2020-21 and to convene a working group with similar institutions to advance virtual proceedings and develop a justice-friendly version of Microsoft Teams, according to the umpire's annual report, which also notes a further improvement in agreement approval times.
The Fair Work Ombudsman increased its use of compliance notices by 113% in 2020-21, as it sought to quickly rectify underpayments instead of taking action in the courts, while it has nevertheless ramped up its legal action by more than 40% and set up a dedicated branch to pursue corporate misconduct.
A Labor/Greens-majority secure work Senate inquiry is calling on the Morrison Government to require federally-funded entities, including universities, aged care and disability services, to give preference to direct, permanent jobs.
The ROC expects to finish its investigation into the AWU's historical donations to GetUp by the end of this year, after a three-year court battle delayed it.
