A firebrand ex-leader of the meatworkers' union, Wally Curran, has died in Melbourne, rekindling memories of his famous falling out with former ACTU president and future Labor prime minister, Bob Hawke.
In a long-running case with numerous twists and turns, an unfairly dismissed anaesthetist has again failed to win his job back after a Fair Work Commission full bench ruled there were no errors in Deputy President Val Gostencnik's decision that Barwon Health's loss of trust and confidence in him made reinstatement inappropriate.
In its first substantive order under the new bullying jurisdiction, the Fair Work Commission has directed an employee not to have any unaccompanied contact with a co-worker or make comments about their clothes or appearance.
The AiG will argue for a raft of annual leave changes as part of the four-year review of modern awards, including greater powers for employers to compel workers to take annual leave during close-downs and when accrued leave reaches "excessive" levels.
In a significant decision, a Fair Work Commission full bench has agreed to scrap the 90% rate for 20-year-old retail workers, holding they should receive full adult pay after six months with an employer.
Private sector agreements approved in the December quarter provided average pay rises of 3.6% a year, slightly up on the 3.5% annual increase recorded in the September quarter, according to Department of Employment data released today.
Cash-in-transit company Linfox Armaguard has failed to stymie a TWU official's authority to sign a protected action application, but has won additional notice of bans on servicing ATMs.
FWBC head Nigel Hadgkiss has called for agreement clauses allowing industry-wide RDOs, weekend shutdowns and restrictions on subcontractors and labour hire to be "consigned to the past where they belong".