An FWC full bench has reserved its decision on an SDA application to include paid blood donor leave in five awards, after employers argued the entitlement has no place in the modern awards system and should be left for enterprise bargaining.
The CFMEU's mining and energy division has welcomed an FWC ruling not to allow the spread of casual workers in the black coal mining industry, vowing to resist future "attacks" on award conditions.
A five-member FWC full bench has ruled today that modern awards should enable casual employees to elect to convert to full-time or part-time employment, subject to certain rules and restrictions.
The Federal Court has expedited the union application to quash the Fair Work Commission's cuts to penalty rates, but a three-day hearing will nevertheless start no earlier than September 18.
The main protagonists have landed their last blows ahead of Sunday penalty rate cuts coming into effect this weekend, United Voice calling on restaurant and pub patrons to pressure bosses over whether they value their staff, while AiG insists that July 1's parallel "hefty" minimum wage rise not only sees workers better off, but saddles employers with bigger wage bills.
United Voice has launched its Federal Court challenge to the FWC's decision to cut Sunday penalty rates, arguing that the Commission "misconceived" its obligation to uphold workers' living standards.
Two unions are poised to lodge legal challenges to penalty rate cuts as early as tomorrow after the Fair Work Commission issued determinations on transitional arrangements in the retail and hospitality sectors.
The WA Industrial Relations Commission has increased the state minimum wage by 2.3%, noting that the economy is still in a "trough" after the end of the mining and construction boom in recent years.
The Fair Work Commission today conceded that inflated concerns about the impact of minimum wage increases on employment may have led to it being "overly cautious" in past rulings.
