A Federal Court full bench has upheld a finding that the main retail award applies to delivery drivers employed by the online arm of supermarket giant Coles.
The Fair Work Commission has rejected a second attempt by electricity distributor Essential Energy to move some managers and senior technical employees from an enterprise agreement to individual contracts, ruling that the "common understanding" of the agreement's coverage clause overrides its literal meaning.
They reached their last bargaining deal only after a bloody industrial battle that culminated in a fleet grounding, but this time round Qantas and the ALAEA have struck an in-principle agreement without disputation that delivers each side some significant wins - including the reversal of redundancies and a partial pay-freeze.
Employment Minister Eric Abetz has declared that a frozen wage is better than no job, while refusing to comment on pay freeze deals being struck by individual employers.
A two-week lockout of CSR Gyprock workers has ended with the parties reaching an in-principle agreement, talks are scheduled for tomorrow in a bid to end a two-month lockout at building supplier Ausreo, and a nine-month standoff over unpaid allowances for Dubbo maintenance workers has been resolved in a new deal.
The CFMEU says it will keep pushing for shorter swing rosters on major resource construction projects, despite losing a push to introduce them for the Curtis Island LNG plants in Queensland.
In a dispute that could extend to the eastern seaboard, major stevedore DP World says it will lock out its Fremantle workforce tomorrow and subcontract its work to competitor, Patrick.
Department of Human Services employees look set to be the first to vote on an offer made under the Coalition's restrictive new public sector bargaining policy, with the CPSU warning the below-inflation pay and reduced conditions on the table are "early-warning signs" of what is ahead.
