July 1, the date many Victoria manufacturing employers have long feared, has come and gone with barely a whimper as the metal industry unions so far play the bargaining game strictly by the book.
Commissioner Bob Watling has been promoted to Deputy President of the Tasmanian Industrial Commission, while the CEO of the State's Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Tim Abey, is to be a new Commissioner.
Julius Roe, who lost out to Craig Johnston in the recent elections for secretary of the Victorian branch of the AMWU, has been appointed national president of the union by its national council.
The AMWU has won support outside Australia for its battle against Joy Manufacturing, which has locked out its workforce in the NSW southern highlands for three months now.
Senior employment lawyers say employers should review letters of offer that refer to company policy manuals, after a Federal Court full bench found that a redundant worker's employment contract incorporated a redundancy agreement between the company and the printing union.
A senior executive made redundant by Westfield has won access to share options that would net him $1 million, following a New South Wales IRC ruling that his contract was unfair.
Housing in a remote location cannot be counted as part of an employee's remuneration - because there is no market in such areas to provide a proper valuation, according to an IRC full bench.
The AMWU has lost its legal battle to participate in negotiations for new enterprise agreements to cover two groups of workers at Mount Isa Mines, but still intends to challenge its exclusion when the company and the AWU attempt to register their deals.
