In a significant judgment examining the interplay between employment relationships and employment contracts, the Federal Court has dismissed a major employer's appeal against a ruling it owed a cleaner redundancy pay after reducing her hours from full to part-time.
Labour hire company Workpac has sought special leave to appeal to the High Court last month's momentous Rossato decision paving the way for casuals to claim leave entitlements, a ruling employers now estimate could expose them to more than $14 billion in back-pay.
The Morrison Government has flagged potential legislative change as the full Federal Court's Rossato ruling sends "shockwaves" among employers, while an academic says it is untenable for casuals to receive both loading and leave entitlements.
Unions are calling on Qantas to permit sick workers to continue accessing paid personal leave entitlements while stood down due to the coronavirus, despite the Federal Court ruling today that it is not obliged to do so.
The Morrison Government has won support for a parliamentary inquiry into class actions, despite the Labor Opposition accusing it of dodging recommendations from a 17-month-old report by the Australian Law Reform Commission.
A court has given a publicly-listed veterinary pharmaceutical company the go-ahead to pursue its former chief executive for a significant portion of more than US$400,000 paid to settle assault and s-x discrimination cases brought by two members of its marketing team.
A court has ordered that the Fair Work Ombudsman refund company directors any restitution made to former employees if the regulator is unable to track them down within 28 days.
A McDonald's franchise that says it can otherwise stop workers from going to the toilet if it provides a 10-minute paid break contained in their agreement has told a court that Queensland's WHS Act does not entitle employees "to be protected from cruel and inhumane working conditions".
IR Minister Christian Porter and a major food manufacturer have told the High Court that sick and carers leave must be calculated on average hours, not calendar days, in their challenge to a decision claimed to potentially leave employers an extra $2 billion out of pocket each year.
