The giant miner Glencore has extended the lockout of about 190 workers at its Oaky North coal mine in Queensland for another two weeks, to 132 days. Meanwhile, the union that represents the mineworkers has a new general secretary.
An independent investigator's report that was due today to determine whether Flight Attendants Association national division secretary Andrew Staniforth was to be immediately reinstalled has been delayed until next Wednesday.
The Federal Court has today made a consent order under which the AFP will not pass on documents seized in Tuesday's raids on the AWU, and the Registered Organisations Commission will not accept them, until the union's bid to stop the investigation of the matter has been heard.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash says one of her staffers has resigned after admitting he leaked information to the media about the AFP raids on the AWU yesterday.
Coalition senators, in a new Senate inquiry report, have rejected concerns about the "ensuring integrity" bill that introduces a public interest test for union mergers, while minority Labor and Greens senators have dismissed the legislation as "politically-driven" and "politically-motivated".
ACTU secretary Sally McManus has boosted the peak union body's industrial law capacity by hiring the CFMEU construction and general division's senior national legal officer, Tom Roberts.
The ANMF has cemented its spot as Australia's biggest union – with a record 270,000 members - as federal secretary Lee Thomas announces that she will depart next month.
The CFMEU's construction and general division has elected ACT branch secretary Dean Hall to succeed militant veteran Joe McDonald as its national president.
Flight Attendants Association national division secretary Andrew Staniforth has withdrawn a court case against his union after it agreed to provide an opportunity for him to respond to "questions" and appoint former Unions NSW secretary Mark Lennon to investigate any subsequent allegations.