For the first time, the Fair Work Commission has ruled that in the unusual case where two enterprise agreements (EA) cover the same employees the earlier agreement ceases to have effect once it passes its expiry date. Deputy President Peter Sams made the ruling in response to intercontinental air and ocean freight transporter SDV Australia Pty Ltd'...
Employer bid to terminate EA backfires in ‘perverse irony'
↧
↧
Editorial team
Editor: Rajiv Maharaj, (03) 8684 2139, rajiv.maharaj@thomsonreuters.com . Chief Journalist: David Marin-Guzman. Managing Editor: Peter Schwab. Twitter: @WorkforceTR
↧
Rudd kicks off national productivity talks with unions and business
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has met unions and business leaders today to push the tripartite national productivity agenda he first unveiled in a speech at the National Press Club (NPC) on July 11 ( WF18754 ). Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary Dave Oliver today met Rudd. Workforce Daily understands talks were ongoing at press time. H...
↧
Norfolk Island public servants seek 5%-a-year after offered 3% all up
WFD: Public servants on Norfolk Island (NI) are seeking a 5%-a-year pay increase in a "living wage" case being heard by former Federal Court Justice Kevin Lindgren. Supplementary submissions will be lodged next month (August), with a final decision to made in September, Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) federal secretary Karen Batt confirmed...
↧
Willox slams Greens PPL scheme, warns of big business lay-offs
WFD: The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) has slammed the Greens' foray into paid parental leave (PPL) as "photocopied" Coalition policy, and one that would cost "10 times" the existing Labor government's scheme. Greens leader Christine Milne released the scheme in Canberra earlier this week. Under the Greens plan, a newborn baby's primary care...
↧
↧
IR experts debate risks of corporations power
WFD: Future governments could seek to respond to an economic crisis by marshalling the broad reach of the corporations power that underpins Australia's IR system, a workplace researcher has warned. Speaking at Monday's labour law conference in Sydney (July 22), visiting industry scholar with the Workplace Research Centre Geoff McGill said it was ti...
↧
Miners in limbo as Glencore angles for unrestricted 'modern' agreement
WFD: The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) Queensland mining and energy division is gearing up for a major dispute at one of its industrial heartlands following Glencore Xstrata's push for "flexible" work arrangements at its 100-year-old Collinsville Mine. The Swiss company is set to take over the mine operations on September 1 afte...
↧
Toll workers vote on strike action
WFD: Workers at Australia's biggest transport operator, Toll Group, commenced voting yesterday (July 25) on whether to take strike action in support of their enterprise agreement (EA) demands ( WF18753 ) . The ballot, which got underway on Monday (July 22) and closes on August 5, will consider actions ranging from 'work to rule' and overtime bans t...
↧
Coalition to boost small business presence on FWC
WFD: The Coalition has promised to appoint small business experts to the Fair Work Commission if it is elected this year. Opposition leader Tony Abbott made the announcement on Thursday (July 25). "A Coalition government will give small business a greater voice in economic decision making by including small business representation on key regulatory...
↧
↧
NSW nurses and midwives strike over nurse-patient ratios
WFD: NSW nurses and midwives went on strike on Wednesday (July 24) to protest what they say is a State Government failure to improve nurse-to-patient ratios in state public hospitals. NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) secretary Brett Holmes said the union had "exhausted negotiations" on ratios in talks with the Barry O'Farrell govt for ...
↧
You can't make me love you: ‘naïve' to legislate productivity & harmony
The Australian Council of Trade Unions has cautioned that governments cannot legislate productivity and the underlying principles of IR legislation should be a rights purpose and a distributional one. Speaking at this week's Workplace Research Centre labour law conference, ACTU assistant secretary Tim Lyons argued “a good deal of the conflict...
↧
FWBC targets CFMEU following strike over sacking
The Fair Work Building Commission (FWBC) has accused a senior construction union official of coercion for allegedly organising a strike in response to the sacking of a health and safety representative. According to FWBC's civil penalty claim, on June 21, 2012 Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) SA assistant secretary Michael McDermott...
↧
Bid to revive building code gets date
The Federal Court has set down November to hear the Victoria Government's special leave application to appeal the adverse action findings against its building and construction code (WF18685) . The Vic Govt's appeal looks set to be an important case after federal Opposition IR spokesperson Eric Abetz said he was betting on its success to re-introduc...
↧
↧
Judge boots out 'conspiracy theory' adverse action case
WFD: A Federal Circuit Court judge has fired a shot across the bow of adverse action claims based on "conspiracy theories". Judge John Coker has warned employees they must first show an alleged adverse action actually took place before the reverse onus of proof for why an employer took the action comes into play. Judge Coker made the remarks in dis...
↧
Virgin fails bench bid to quash long-haired attendant reinstatement
WFD: A Fair Work Commission full bench has dismissed a Virgin Australia appeal to nullify the reinstatement of a flight attendant sacked for refusing to cut his hair in line with the airline's grooming standards. On January 11, Commissioner Anna Cribb ordered Virgin Australia International Airlines Pty Ltd to reinstate flight attendant David Talesk...
↧
Employer bid to terminate EA backfires in 'perverse irony'
WFD: For the first time, the Fair Work Commission has ruled that in the unusual case where two enterprise agreements (EA) cover the same employees the earlier agreement ceases to have effect once it passes its expiry date. Deputy President Peter Sams made the ruling in response to intercontinental air and ocean freight transporter SDV Australia Pty...
↧
Tighe retires as CEPU internal war subsides
WFD: Communications Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU) head, Peter Tighe, has announced he is resigning from the union to make way for a "younger, fitter, faster" leader after 18 years in the position. In an approved succession plan, CEPU assistant secretary Allen Hicks is the new Electrical Trades Union (ETU) national secretary and is expected to be...
↧
↧
ANF Vic no more ... now the ANMF
The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Victorian branch has changed its name to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF). The Vic branch represents about 68,000 Victorian nurses and midwives. The Fair Work Commission approved the change this week.
↧
Prod Cmn analyst to tackle reasons for labour's falling income share
WFD: Labour's falling share of productivity gains since the 2000s - an issue flagged for next year's minimum wage review - is set to be addressed next month as part of the Fair Work Commission's (FWC) workplace relations lecture series. Productivity analyst Dean Parham's presentation - 'Productivity and Pay Developments in Labour's Share of Income ...
↧
1 in 4 rate IR as no.1 gripe: Ai Group
WFD: Almost a quarter of businesses have ranked industrial relations as their number one policy priority for the incoming federal government, the Australian Industry Group said today. It released the findings of a survey of 330 businesses from the manufacturing, services and construction sectors, with 23.1% saying IR reform was what they wanted mos...
↧
