The Fair Work Commission has rejected StarTrack's bid to stop a 24-hour strike by TWU members, finding "little evidence" that the protected action would affect delivery of critical medical supplies such as COVID-19 vaccines.
The FWC has upheld the dismissal of an "intransigent" sales employee who declined on "medical" grounds to comply with her employer's lawful and reasonable direction to supply a urine sample for a random drug and alcohol test.
The CFMMEU's mining and energy division last night lodged an appeal in the Federal Court against last week's FWC decision that rejected its application to withdraw from the amalgamated union.
Fair Work Commission member Ian Cambridge has today told StarTrack and the TWU that a "sensible position" should be adopted to ensure a protected 24-hour strike from midnight does not affect the delivery of time-critical goods such as COVID-19 vaccines.
The FWC has questioned the "utility" of hearing an IBM software engineer's application to insert up to five days paid vaccination leave into "Schedule X" in the professional services award, as the rapid uptake of inoculations and the schedule's expiry at the end of the year means there might be "little, if any, work" for it do.
The FWC has granted a contested AEC application to extend voting in a protection action ballot after pandemic-related postal delays held up workers' replies, but it has warned the agency to make more effort to comply with the tribunal's processes.
The Melbourne CBD has faced a second day of threatening and sometimes violent anti-vaccination protests after the Victorian Government ordered an immediate two-week shutdown of the construction industry last night.
The Federal Court has today refused to grant a Qantas bid to stay a hearing that could lead to the reinstatement of some or all of almost 1700 ground crew whose jobs the airline outsourced earlier this year.
The StarTrack s424 bid, to be heard tomorrow, says the TWU's protected action should be terminated or suspended, because it would endanger delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, blood products and pathology samples, plus organs for transplant and other medical products.
The Federal Court is expected to rule this morning on a Qantas application to stay its decision on a remedy - including the possibility of reinstatement - for almost 1700 ground crew whose jobs the airline outsourced earlier this year.
