The FWC today gave a strong signal that it is anxious to bring to a head Coles employee Penny Vickers' bid to terminate the supermarket giant's enterprise agreement, acknowledging criticism that the case had dragged on before granting the night-fill worker an extension to supply supporting documents.
The Independent Education Union is urging NSW and ACT Catholic school teachers to endorse rolling stop-work action after it negotiated a "pretty good" agreement that nevertheless contained no guaranteed access to arbitration.
The FAAA says it is delighted with a new deal endorsed by more than 90% of voting Qantas international flight attendants, but the TWU has slammed it for perpetuating a two-tiered system that pays some cabin crew less than half the money for performing the same work.
A recommendation by a UK inquiry that labour hire workers gain rights similar to Australia's casual conversion clauses is unlikely to be effective, because such provisions have had a low take-up in the sector here, according to academic Anthony Forsyth
Unions are pushing for the NSW ALP at its conference this weekend to take a tougher line on the gig economy and on "wage theft" among major franchisees.
An FWC full bench has confirmed that the Australian Government Solicitor can "as a matter of right" represent all federal agencies, including commissions, in the tribunal, without having to seek permission.
The FWO's targeting of underpaying 7-Eleven franchisees has claimed two more scalps, with Brisbane store owners variously found to have misclassified employees and adopted a "systematic" scheme to avoid obligations.
While retreating from his much-hyped "call to arms" for workers to demand higher wages, Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe today told a Sydney audience that a continuation of the current period of stagnation in wage growth would have an "insidious" impact on the economy.
