The Australian Higher Education Industrial Association says it is doing its job by developing a roadmap for securing fast rollover agreements to avoid universities being "roped in" to multi-employer deals.
The winding-up of the ROC early next month is set to trigger a compensation payment of about $130,000 for Registered Organisations Commissioner Mark Bielecki.
New NTEU national secretary Damien Cahill says the union is seeking to replicate recent flagship deals but is disappointed some universities are offering agreements directly to staff, while the head of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association suggests more non-union deals might be on the way.
The ROC is probing whether a CFMMEU branch is complying with financial obligations following an investigation that prompted a Federal Court case against its leader, while the watchdog has decided not to pursue the National Retail Association over membership irregularities.
The FWC has granted an extension for the Albanese Government, unions and employers involved in the aged care work value case to respond to 50 questions posed late last year, such as whether they agree with a provisional view not to realign rates in a way that would hand the sector's registered nurses a 35% pay increase and whether they should be moved into the aged care award.
The FWC says a proposed amalgamation of the Australian Hotels Association and the Accommodation Association of Australia will give the latter a "strong voice" within the merged employer body and held that only its members will have to vote on it in a ballot opening next month.
As ROC staff await their transfer to the FWC, the watchdog has found that a former AEU ACT branch secretary did not improperly use his position, while it is also pursuing the AWU and a CFMMEU mining and energy division Queensland district leader in the Federal Court.
The Albanese Government's first major tranche of IR legislation beefs-up workers' rights to secure flexible working arrangements and empowers the FWC to arbitrate if conciliation of a refused request fails.
The Albanese Labor Government should establish an "independent body" to set enforceable standards for traditional transport operations, along with on-demand delivery and rideshare platform work, according to a broad industry-union coalition.
