The Northern Territory (NT) and Federal Government are about to make the first regional agreement to lower visa and employment requirements for semi-skilled migrant workers in sectors with labour shortages. Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs), a Coalition initiative based on the previous Labor government's Regional Migration Agreements int...
NT agreement to lower bar for migrant workers
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Lack of policy awareness renders dismissal unfair
The Fair Work Commission has reinstated a pair of Qantas flight attendants who charged both their cab-charge cards for shared trips because Qantas could not show they knew the practice was against its policy. Deputy President Jeff Lawrence found Qantas had no evidence the pair had acknowledged reading its cab-charge policy, highlighting the need fo...
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FWO reveals unpaid intern compliance push
As the NSW parliamentary inquiry into unpaid work continues hearings ( below ), the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has revealed details of compliance activity it has undertaken to crack down on the instances of internships being exploited for productive work. The FWO this week stated that unpaid internships should “constitute mainly observation, r...
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Bechtel industrial action set to restart despite temporary reprieve
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has ordered industrial action be stopped at the Curtis Island LNG project after it found the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union's (CFMEU) notices were faulty, rendering the action unprotected (WF19265) . However, the CFMEU has already issued a proper notice for indefinite stoppages starting this Thursday (Augus...
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Unions NSW calls for FWC to enforce internship code of practice
A code of practice should be developed to fight intern exploitation, Unions NSW has told a state upper house inquiry into volunteering and unpaid work placements yesterday (August 11). Unions NSW secretary Mark Lennon spoke about Fairfax media reports that companies such as Australian Interns charge up to $2k to organise internships. Lennon said it...
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Editorial Team
Editor: David Marin-Guzman, (02) 8587 7682, david.marin-guzman@thomsonreuters.com . Chief Journalist: Paul Karp. Managing Editor: Peter Schwab. Twitter: @WorkforceTR
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Bechtel industrial action set to restart despite temporary reprieve
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has ordered industrial action be stopped at the Curtis Island LNG project after it found the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union's (CFMEU) notices were faulty, rendering the action unprotected (WF19265) . However, the CFMEU has already issued a proper notice for indefinite stoppages starting this Thursday (Augus...
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FWC suggests posthumous unfair dismissal claims not allowed
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has rejected the unfair dismissal claim of a man who died after lodging his application, finding it had no reasonable prospect of success. Deputy President Val Gostencnik gave strong indications an unfair dismissal claim by a since-deceased applicant cannot succeed, although he did not decide the case on that point. M...
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Bechtel claims Fed Court win yet workers till striking
The Federal Court has issued an injunction against the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) and 72 workers taking unprotected industrial action at Bechtel's Curtis Island LNG projects. Several hundred Bechtel employees have been striking at the plant since August 7 as part of a push to move to the more family friendly three weeks on, o...
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Fed Govt disapproves of supplemental PPL schemes
The Federal Government has said it believes it is unfair and “inappropriate” that workers can top up the Commonwealth's paid parental leave (PPL) entitlements by accessing their own negotiated schemes. But while the govt plans to prevent public sector workers from “double dipping” under its proposed 26-week PPL scheme, it de...
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Royal Commission targets SDA as part of three-week hearing
The Heydon Royal Commission has named the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) for the first time in its inquiry into union corruption. The cmn announced it would hold hearings into the SDA as well as the Transport Workers Union in the week from August 18 to 22. The SDA - the largest union with 230,000 members and a major player...
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FWO brings 'Australian-first' FWC order breach proceedings
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is suing a Melbourne gym and its director for allegedly ignoring a Fair Work Commission (FWC) order to compensate a young employee who was unfairly dismissed. The FWO has brought Federal Circuit Court proceedings against World Gym Sunshine (WGS) Pty Ltd and its sole director Wayne George Mailing. It is the first time p...
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Editorial Team
Editor: David Marin-Guzman, (02) 8587 7682, david.marin-guzman@thomsonreuters.com . Chief Journalist: Paul Karp. Managing Editor: Peter Schwab. Twitter: @WorkforceTR
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Weak wages growth contrast with profit boom
Wage increases have maintained their record low of 2.6% for the fourth consecutive quarter, despite rising company profits. The wage price index (WPI) for the June quarter showed private sector wage increases continued to grow at an annual trend rate of 2.5%. That was slower than public sector wage growth, which increased by 3% in the year to June ...
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States immune from Fair Work consultation provisions
A Fair Work Commission full bench has rejected a union bid to enforce Fair Work Act (FW Act) consultation provisions against the Queensland Government over its privatisation plans, finding state public sectors are immune from such provisions. The decision removed a potential road-block from the Qld govt's decision to transfer 1,817 disability servi...
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Editorial Team
Editor: David Marin-Guzman, (02) 8587 7682, david.marin-guzman@thomsonreuters.com . Chief Journalist: Paul Karp. Journalist: Steve Andrew. Managing Editor: Peter Schwab. Twitter: @WorkforceTR
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Full Court accepts pub across street was ‘workplace'
The Full Federal Court has unanimously rejected the appeal of a man ordered to pay $210k for sexual harassment of a colleague, finding there was sufficient evidence to conclude he had unwanted intercourse with her. But the court has split on the issue of what constitutes the “workplace” - with the majority finding harassment in a pub co...
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FWC orders stop to CFMEU indefinite stoppages at Bechtel
Bechtel has succeeded in getting new Fair Work Commission orders stopping the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union's (CFMEU) protected action set to start today at the Curtis Island LNG project (WF19273) . Senior Deputy President Ian Watson issued the s418 order late yesterday afternoon. The order halts all unprotected industrial action for tw...
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Robert McClelland returns to commercial employment law
Former Attorney General Robert McClelland has joined Carroll & O'Dea lawyers as a partner in its workplace solutions practice. McClelland was a partner at Turner Freeman solicitors before entering Federal Parliament in 1996 and serving as Attorney General from 2007 to 2011. In 2013, Workforce Daily associate news service Workforce NSW reported ...
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Port Phillip bargaining terminated without union opposition
Prison guards at Port Phillip's maximum security prison have been ordered into compulsory conciliation with employer G4S Custodial Services after the Fair Work Commission (FWC) terminated their protected action on safety grounds. The order means bargaining is terminated and the parties must undergo 21 days of compulsory conciliation with arbitratio...
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