Employers seeking longer notice periods for protected industrial action due to exceptional circumstances might have to provide stronger evidence, after the FWC refused Essential Energy's bid to extend the warning given by the CEPU from three to five days.
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 granted a contested AEC application to extend voting in a protection action ballot after pandemic-related postal delays held up workers' replies, but it has warned the agency to make more effort to comply with the tribunal's processes.
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.
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.
A FWC member has sailed past a union lawyer's caution not to interfere in the wording of a proposed strike ballot, finding that an "ambiguous" question should be deleted to avoid perplexing employees voting on it.
The FWC has rejected a chicken processor's argument that it should extend notice of the AMWU's proposed 12-hour maintenance strikes from three to seven days to ensure it doesn't breach RSPCA animal welfare guidelines and legislated standards, but has criticised the union for the "commercial unreality" of its suggestions about the defensive measures the company might undertake.
The FWC has refused to renew the entry permit of a CFMMEU construction division organiser it previously directed to undertake "emotional management" training, finding his role in an unlawful 2018 strike showed promises to reform when elected WA branch president did not play out.
