The Fair Work Commission has rejected StarTrack's bid to stop a 24-hour strike by TWU members, finding "little evidence" that the protected action would affect delivery of critical medical supplies such as COVID-19 vaccines.
Fair Work Commission member Ian Cambridge has today told StarTrack and the TWU that a "sensible position" should be adopted to ensure a protected 24-hour strike from midnight does not affect the delivery of time-critical goods such as COVID-19 vaccines.
The FWC has questioned the "utility" of hearing an IBM software engineer's application to insert up to five days paid vaccination leave into "Schedule X" in the professional services award, as the rapid uptake of inoculations and the schedule's expiry at the end of the year means there might be "little, if any, work" for it do.
The Melbourne CBD has faced a second day of threatening and sometimes violent anti-vaccination protests after the Victorian Government ordered an immediate two-week shutdown of the construction industry last night.
The Federal Court has today refused to grant a Qantas bid to stay a hearing that could lead to the reinstatement of some or all of almost 1700 ground crew whose jobs the airline outsourced earlier this year.
The StarTrack s424 bid, to be heard tomorrow, says the TWU's protected action should be terminated or suspended, because it would endanger delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, blood products and pathology samples, plus organs for transplant and other medical products.
The Federal Court is expected to rule this morning on a Qantas application to stay its decision on a remedy - including the possibility of reinstatement - for almost 1700 ground crew whose jobs the airline outsourced earlier this year.
Major freight operator StarTrack has applied for the FWC to stop a protected 24-hour strike by TWU members on Thursday because it would hamper the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical supplies.
CFMMEU construction and general division Victorian branch secretary John Setka has today been abused and jostled by anti-vaccination protesters outside the union's offices in Melbourne.
Wage rises in private sector enterprise agreements remain marooned at 2.6%, while public sector increases have dropped back to recent trends, according to new Attorney-General's Department data that appears to confirm that the pandemic has accelerated the long-running decline in bargaining.