Former Public Service Commissioner Andrew Podger has told a Senate inquiry that getting rid of bargaining altogether in the federal public sector would improve productivity.
New Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching has hailed her former boss at the HSU's Victoria No 1 branch, Diana Asmar, as "inspirational", while thanking other state union leaders for their support.
The FWC will next week move towards making a workplace determination for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection after employees this week voted overwhelmingly to reject the department's third bargaining offer.
The ETU has launched a Federal Court challenge to the construction watchdog's power to assess whether enterprise agreements comply with the 2013 construction code.
Turnbull Government re-introduces IR bills to Senate; Extension for Senate committee report on backpacker tax bills; FWC advertising for general manager.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has called off a scheduled annual meeting with her state and territory IR counterparts, telling them there are "no matters requiring ministerial decision".
The CFMEU construction and general division's Victorian branch is appealing a Federal Court decision that barred the union from paying an $18,000 penalty against an organiser after the judge concluded the union received part of its income from government grants.
Victoria's volunteer firefighters have dropped legal action in the State Supreme Court against the CFA's proposed new enterprise agreement, in the wake of the Turnbull Government pushing through changes to the Fair Work Act.
The Coalition should have sought a "more extensive mandate" on IR and run a more active campaign on the subject during the last election, rather than supplementing the ABCC and ROC bills with a "last minute minor change on CFA volunteers", according to Abbott Government Employment Minister Eric Abetz.
The UFU's proposed High Court bid to overturn the CFA legislation is "misconceived and likely to fail", according to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash, who is confident the new law will survive any challenge.