The Federal Court has rejected a bid by the FWO and CFMMEU to upset a major labour hire company's treatment of workers as independent contractors, finding the service agreement signed by the parties transparently spelt out the true nature of their relationship.
In a decision that could have employers re-thinking standard travel and hours terms in agreements, the Federal Court has found in favour of a CFMMEU-backed class action that argued workers should be paid for transit time between security gates and their worksite.
The Federal Court has frozen the assets of two former Spotlight Pty Ltd employees who allegedly took millions of dollars in secret commissions from a supplier.
The NUW will face total penalties of $72,900 over unlawful industrial action at two Woolworths distribution centres in Melbourne in 2015, after a Federal Court ruling.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has put companies and boards "on notice" after Woolworths revealed that 5,700 salaried employees at its supermarkets and metro stores have been underpaid by up to $300 million.
A judge has ordered more than $200,000 in compensation and penalties against two underpaying former company directors at the same time as roundly rejecting FWO attempts to characterise the dental technician involved as a "vulnerable" visa-holder.
Australia's two largest employer groups have rejected the Morrison Government's in-principle commitment to introduce criminal offences for the worst cases of underpayment.
A company "motivated by malice" when it forged documents to cut the leave balance of a chief operating officer it perceived as "a thorn in its side" has been ordered to pay $250,000 in penalties and unpaid entitlements.
Hospo Voice and Maurice Blackburn are urging the FWO to investigate claims that Rockpool Dining Group might have underpaid workers by $10 million and falsified finger-scanning payroll data, but the company says it has "no evidence" of any group-wide manipulation to intentionally underpay.
The Registered Organisations Commission has told the AWU it appears to have breached it statutory reporting obligations on its membership in each consecutive year from 2009 until 2017.
