WFD: The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has increased the national minimum wage (NMW) by 3.3%, resulting in an $18.29 hourly rate and $694.90 a week from July 1, 2017 in its annual wage review 2016-17 ruling. The increase, equating to a rise of $22.20 a week or 59 cents an hour, was branded excessive by business groups as unions feared the impending pe...
Penalty rates spectre clouds 3.3% min wage boost
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RBA and govt expected to be ‘secretly pleased' by wages decision
WFD: Economist Saul Eslake told Workforce Daily the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Federal Government would privately welcome the National Minimum Wage (NMW) ruling (above) . It was consistent with the RBA's “forecasts of and desire for inflation to return to the mid-point of their 2-3% target band after a period of being below it...
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Retailers baulk at gradual penalty rate transition
WFD: Retail employers will be “disappointed by the excessive length” of the transition to the Sunday penalty rate cuts the Fair Work Commission revealed yesterday (June 5), a retail lobby group has warned ( WF 5/6/17 ). While the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said it welcomed the decision to slash Sunday penalty rates, employer...
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Mining company may set ‘dangerous precedent': CFMEU
WFD: Oaky North mine operator Glencore has tried to bring in contractors to cover 180 striking underground coal miners, the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) has said. The workers have been striking for three weeks in response to a company enterprise agreement (EA) proposal that would weaken union representation, pay workers dependi...
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CPSU encourages members to vote down 5 th EA proposal
WFD: The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has recommended its members knock back the Department of Agriculture and WaterResources (DAWR)'s fifth proposed enterprise agreement (EA) in 18 months. New offer better than the last The CPSU acknowledged the latest offer was better than the one members rejected in November ( WF 18/11/2016 ), but cl...
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FWC softens impact of Sunday penalty rate cuts
WFD: A Fair Work Commission (FWC) full bench has cushioned the blow for workers awaiting cuts to their Sunday penalty rates after today ruling the reductions will be phased in over three years for fast food and hospitality workers and four years for pharmacy and permanent retail employees ( WF 23/3/17 ). However, workers would feel the full impact ...
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Minimum wage decision out tomorrow
WFD: The Fair Work Commission (FWC) expert panel will hand down its annual wage review decision at 11am tomorrow (June 5) in Melbourne. The Australian Industry Group (AiG) has called for a $10.10 a week increase to the national minimum wage and $11.75 to the base trade rate in part because of rising youth underemployment and energy costs ( WF 31/3/...
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Proposed laws to shine a light on slavery in supply chains
WFD: Federal Labor has today unveiled a proposal for new laws to curb modern slavery by requiring large businesses to report on slavery in their supply chains. Announcing the proposal for a Modern Slavery Act, Opposition leader Bill Shorten and Shadow justice minister Clare O'Neil said in a joint statement an estimated 45.8 million people were held...
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Bench finds limits to FWC powers
WFD: A Fair Work Commission (FWC) full bench has upheld a coal miner's appeal against a ruling that the cmn could arbitrate a dispute without consent from the parties involved. In a matter examining the FWC's dispute resolution powers, the bench - Vice President Joseph Catanzariti, Deputy President Richard Clancy and Commissioner Leigh Johns - quas...
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Significant salary variations no reason for redundancy: FWC
WFD: Four emergency services officers have won the right to have their unfair dismissal applications heard after the Fair Work Commission (FWC) rejected their employer's claim their jobs were redundant after they refused to accept an offer of less pay for the same work. Deputy President Geoff Bull said: “A job is redundant when the functions,...
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Lack of instrument to deal with suspension without pay 'troubling'
WFD: The NSW Industrial Relations Commission has described its inability to intervene in a decision to suspend a senior correctional officer without pay as "troubling", given it earlier recommended he be paid. Dismissing a NSW Public Service Association claim on behalf of a 'Mr Reynolds' for want of jurisdiction, Commissioner Peter Newall said the ...
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Editorial Team
Editor: Annie Lawson (03) 8684 2127, 0422 567 004, annie.lawson@tr.com Chief Journalist: Gerard May Journalist: Steve Andrew Managing Editor: Peter Schwab Twitter: @WorkforceTR
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Unions call for end to privatised VET
Unions and lobby groups have called for an end to the state and federal government's “failed experiment” with privatising vocational education and training (VET), ahead of National TAFE day on June 13. Describing VET privatisation as a disaster, the TAFE Community Alliance said it had resulted in a “litany or rorts and rips”...
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CFMEU to expand strikes at Glencore's Hunter Valley mines
The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) will expand its strike action at Glencore mine sites in the Hunter Valley next week to include the Ravensworth mine and the Liddell coal-handling plant, a union spokesperson has confirmed. Fourteen hundred workers stopped work for 48 hours yesterday and today (June 9) at the Bulga open-cut, Glen...
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Vic labor and liberal staffers walk out of EA negotiations
Victorian electorate officers (EO) will hold an urgent meeting next week to discuss taking protected industrial action after enterprise agreement (EA) negotiations with the State Government broke down, the Community Public Sector Union (CPSU) Vic has said. CPSU team leader Andy Capp told Workforce the union bargaining team last week walked out of E...
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FWC explains ‘essential further step' for bullying matters
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has found a bus company manager who treated drivers like “naughty school children” committed unreasonable behaviour that amounted to bullying. However, Commissioner Julius Roe said Murrays Australia Pty Ltd's action changing manager Andrew Cullen's new job would restrict his ability to bully drivers. He no...
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Woolworths employee fairly sacked for ignoring robbery procedure
Woolworths Fuel validly dismissed an employee who failed to follow company procedure for armed robbery and hold-ups after a customer demanded cash, threatened to jump the counter and took off with a spinach roll and a chocolate milk, the Fair Work Commission has found. Commissioner Bruce Williams found part-time console operator Tapan Mistry's dism...
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Gender equity needs to be driven from the top: Parlt cttee
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) should oversee a roadmap to gender pay equity, the Fair Work Act should include a guide on how to apply for equal remuneration orders and the education department examine ways to boost the number of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education and non-traditional careers, the Senate Committe...
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Worker wins interim stop bullying order against uncle
A worker in a family tyre business has won an interim stop bullying order against his uncle in circumstances the Fair Work Commission (FWC) described as “rare and unusual”. Ari Kypuros alleged he was bullied at work by his uncle Costa Kypuros, who co-owned Mag Wheel & Tyre Pty Ltd with Ari's father Theo. Commissioner Nick Wilson fou...
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Inflation, penalty rate cuts to consume min wage boost
Persistent inflation combined with staggered cuts to Sunday penalty rates will swallow the increases in minimum and award wage rates, analysis of the retail award has revealed. An Australia Institute report into the impact of phasing in penalty rate cuts unveiled this week concluded they “merely delay the inevitable loss in real incomes”...
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