The AIPA says Qantas pilots have voted up, under threat of outsourcing, a newly-approved agreement variation that permits the flying kangaroo to apply existing fatigue rules for jets that fly six hours to its new generation Airbus A321XLRs that can be in the air for 11 hours.
The FWC has speculated that a government business enterprise reviewing a stood-down employee's performance deliberately dragged its feet in the hope he would resign.
Unions are accusing Apple of trying to ram through a deal that could have employees working up to 60 hours a week without overtime, with the ASU and the SDA calling for more time to consult and RAFFWU seeking 5% a year and to claw back alleged underpayments.
An employer has been given a final chance to respond without compulsion to concerns about a recently-approved deal, after a FWC bench dismissed an "unusual" application for it to recuse itself over perceived bias.
The FWC has promised today to provide "real-time" data on bargained pay rises, with plans to issue fortnightly reports on wage movements in enterprise agreement approval applications, with the first "proposed report" showing a 3.2% average annualised rise in the first two weeks of July, well ahead of the last official departmental number for the March quarter of 2.7%.
Westpac is holding out a $1000 incentive to encourage employees to vote up its proposed agreement that promises a 4% rise in January for employees earning less than $95,000, when inflation is forecast to reach almost 8%, but the FSU says it should be increasing its base pay offer as the union pursues a 6% boost.
The nexus between low unemployment and rising wages is broken, with the "hydraulic pressure" of a tight labour market undermined by systemic "leaks" and "loopholes", according to workplace relations minister Tony Burke.
Qantas has secured new deals with freight pilots and unlicenced aircraft engineers but the threat of turmoil looms, with licensed engineers voting to stop work, ground crew considering it and the FAAA claiming domestic fight attendants are facing ultimatums.
McDonald's told workers they could exchange rest breaks for a soft drink or going to the toilet, according to allegations set out in a new SDA "mega" case against the fast food giant that seeks $250 million in compensation from it and more than 300 franchisees.
The FWC has refused to terminate the agreement of an employer that led the AWU to believe it would negotiate a replacement deal while moving in the background to bin it, finding it had not been prompted by an organiser calling its bargaining representative a sad "tosser" who lacked any humanity.
