New university research presented at an IR academics conference in Canberra debunks the notion that reducing weekend penalty rates in the retail sector would mainly affect student workers who don't rely on the income to the same extent as other employees.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants the Fair Work Commission to phase-in the planned cuts to some Sunday penalty rates over a period of years, to ensure that workers' take-home pay is protected, while the tribunal has timetabled the next stage of the penalties case.
The FWC has reduced Sunday penalty rates in the hospitality, retail, fast food and pharmacy sectors and pared-back public holiday penalties in five awards, in a landmark ruling today by a five-member full bench.
The FWC has rejected an employer's jurisdictional objections to hearing the dismissal appeal of an employee over the high-income cap who worked on overseas assignments, finding that while he fell outside the enterprise agreement he was covered by the industry award.
Queensland employers are urging the State and Federal governments to take responsibility for millions of dollars in backpay claims that could be pursued by apprentices after an FWC full bench held that an old State award that continued to dictate their pay was superseded three years ago.
FWC President Iain Ross has asked a full bench to review abandonment of employment clauses in six modern awards after a recent ruling that employers must take the "additional step" of ending the employment relationship when a worker walks off the job.
The CFMEU's mining and energy division has pledged to appeal a "shocking" FWC full bench decision that it claims would slash redundancy benefits for coal mining employees.
An FWC presidential member has approved a bakery franchise agreement with undertakings, while emphasising that the BOOT involves a "balancing exercise" rather than a line-by-line comparison with underlying awards.
