WFD: The Federal Government has revealed the 2015-16 budget will abolish 32 govt bodies and it is considering privatising the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). On May 11 Finance minister Mathias Cormann said in a statement the fourth phase of the govt's ‘Smaller Govt Reform' agenda would bring to 286 the number of govt bodies axed so ...
Budget to axe more govt bodies in third year of public sector cuts
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TURC discussion paper to be released next week
WFD: The Trade Union Royal Commission (TURC) has announced its next steps will be a discussion paper, a private session and a hearing into the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) NSW. In a new schedule , TURC announced the release of a discussion paper on Tuesday (May 19). Senior counsel assisting Jeremy Stoljar previously said the discussion paper would...
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Public sector cuts have stalled
WFD: The 2015-16 federal budget has revealed the government sector will shrink by just 77 jobs this year under current planning but it has flagged further cuts may be considered following reviews at eight departments. According to Budget Paper 4 Part 2 average staffing levels in the public sector including the military and reserves are to be reduce...
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Budget reveals govt push to recover entitlements from bankrupts
WFD: The Federal Government will ramp-up litigation to recover employee entitlements from failed companies as part of a proposed new trial to cut costs under the Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) scheme. Under FEG, if a company goes into liquidation or bankruptcy occurs, the Govt provides assistance to cover certain unpaid employment entitlements e...
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EA wages growth continues downward slide
WFD: Wages growth in federal enterprise agreements have continued their downward slide, falling marginally to 3.4 per cent in the December 2014 quarter. This was down from 3.5% in the September quarter 2014 but unchanged from the December quarter 2013. Releasing latest quarterly figures , the Australian Bureau of Statistics said the recent fall in ...
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Wage growth plummets to new low
WFD: Wage increases fell to new lows in the year to March 2015, falling from the previous record low of 2.5% to just 2.3% on trend and seasonally adjusted terms - putting pressure on just-released Treasury forecasts (WF 27/02/2015) . The wage price index showed just 2.2% seasonally adjusted increases for the private sector compared to 2.4% for the ...
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Move to cut PPL ‘double dipping' could see end of employer schemes
WFD: Employers will stop providing their own paid parental leave (PPL) schemes after the Federal Government's surprise announcement it will stop workers using the Commonwealth's scheme to supplement their existing company entitlements, according to a senior business leader. Treasurer Joe Hockey revealed Tuesday's (May 12) Federal Budget will remove...
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FSU divided as new leader faces hostile exec over bullying complaint
WFD: New Finance Sector Union (FSU) secretary Fiona Jordan has been stripped of her powers by the union's national executive led by factional enemy and assistant national secretary Geoff Derrick. The revelation is contained in a Fair Work Commission decision refusing the union's senior industrial officer Greg McConville an external investigation of...
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What's in a name: changing respondent not a new claim
WFD: Changing the name of the employer respondent on an unfair dismissal claim did not create a new application so as to prevent the Fair Work Commission (FWC) from allowing the amendment, according to a full bench. The bench quashed Commissioner Bruce Williams' decision that rejected a s586 bid by David Djula, represented by the Transport Workers ...
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Questionable redundancy secured $400k send-off for ex TWU boss
WFD: Former Transport Workers Union (TWU) WA secretary and national president James McGiveron received a $373k payout on leaving the union as a result of a generous redundancy policy he introduced less than 12 months earlier, the Trade Union Royal Commission (TURC) has heard. In his opening statement TURC counsel assisting Richard Scruby said McGiv...
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Ex-TWU boss admits handling of luxury ute purchase inappropriate
WFD: Former Transport Workers Union (TWU) WA secretary and national president James McGiveron has said it was “inappropriate” that a $150k luxury ute bought with union money was registered in his name and he should not have continued to receive a $11k a year car allowance. While saying the ute's cost “played on my mind” McGi...
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Firies win stay over investigation of racist and pornographic emails
WFD: The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has stayed disciplinary proceedings against a senior Victorian firefighter accused of having porn and racist material on his work computer, until it hears a dispute application over the Metropolitan Fire & Emergency Services Board's (MFB) handling of the matter. The United Firefighters' Union of Australia (UF...
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AFP officer fails to overturn sacking over diplomatic breaches
An 11-year veteran federal police officer sacked for sending personal mail to Lebanon via the AFP's diplomatic bag, writing references for friends on police letterhead and accessing the police database on behalf of friends without AFP permission has lost his unfair dismissal application. The Fair Work Commission heard Elias Farah was investigated b...
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Crossbenchers deliver extension of FWBC coercive powers until 2017
WFD: All eight Senate crossbenchers have united to back legislation renewing the construction watchdog's coercive powers due to expire at the end of this month, despite their concerns over the justification for the powers. The Fair Work Construction Industry Amendment (Protecting Witnesses) Bill passed on May 11 without amendment. That means the Fa...
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Baiada investigation finds ‘slaving' allegations without foundation
Exclusive Australia's largest poultry producer Baiada has completely rejected Four Corner 's allegations it exploited migrant labour hire workers and its contractors were operating an off-the-books illegal workforce at its Adelaide factory. In astatement to Workforce Baiada advised that based on “an independent investigation by a national law...
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‘Inflated' stevedore penalty rates no longer sustainable: VP Watson
Vice President Graeme Watson has lambasted the “disproportionate” penalty rates in the stevedoring award, in a dissenting four-yearly modern award review decision recommending the rates be slashed to the levels in other awards. But Deputy President John Kovacic and Commissioner Julius Roe ruled out the changes, finding stevedoring emplo...
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You ain't no apprentice of mine: employer
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has lost a claim for $9k in alleged underpayments on behalf of an electrical apprentice after the Federal Circuit Court upheld the employer's denial the man was an apprentice on two technicalities. That was despite worker and employer's apparent common intention to form an apprenticeship when he was hired. Judge Antoni...
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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. Product Code: 314021719615. Twitter: @WorkforceTR
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Diary
NSW IR Society Conference: May 22, Leura. More info here . ACTU Congress : May 26-28, Melbourne. Speakers include Bill Shorten, Tanya Plibersek, Dave Oliver and Ged Kearney. More info here . Committee for Economic Development of Australia : ‘Digital disruption and Australia's future workforce'. June 16, Melbourne. More info here . Australian ...
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Make exploitation a crime: Sheldon
Labour exploitation and “illegal undercutting of wages” should be criminal offences, including strict liability for employers at the top of the supply chain, Transport Workers Union (TWU) national secretary Tony Sheldon has said. Sheldon made the call at the TWU national council in St Kilda today (May 18), saying “exploitation and...
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