Aviation unions will this month ask the High Court to hear an appeal against Qantas's use of JobKeeper payments, on the same day that the ABCC will seek leave to challenge a full Federal Court finding on the nature of "industrial activity".
Employers operating in high-risk environments such as aged and child care have been given further confidence that they can force workers to immunise after the FWC today upheld the sacking of a long-serving care assistant who refused a compulsory flu shot on allergy grounds.
The United Workers' Union has overcome initial scepticism from the FWC to be permitted to further postpone its inaugural national convention because of COVID-19 uncertainties.
The FWC has upheld the sacking of an aged care receptionist who refused a flu vaccination on the basis of a previous allergic reaction, finding her employer "objectively prudent" in refusing to let her work despite her doctor's contraindication form.
In a decision highlighting both the perils of "naïve" social media use and the incongruities of the JobKeeper program, the FWC has declined to award compensation to a teenage casual swim instructor unfairly sacked for recommending a rival business on a community Facebook page.
In a setback for unions fighting a mooted 1.5% pay cap for NSW public servants, the state's Court of Appeal has upheld a decision affirming a 0.3% increase in the 2020-21 financial year, in part because investing in infrastructure would be better than wages in stimulating the economy during the pandemic.
The High Court will next month consider whether to extend special leave in two high-profile cases, the first in which the ABCC is seeking to have the CFMMEU's recidivism factored into penalty rulings and the other in which aviation unions are pursuing access to paid sick, carer's and compassionate leave for Qantas workers stood down due to the pandemic.
The Department of Home Affairs has failed to convince the FWC it was not obliged to consult workers before introducing new policies governing social media use, interactions with children and a dress code deeming sleeveless clothing "unsuitable".
The FWC has found the redundancy of a FIFO labour hire coal mineworker affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions not genuine, holding that Workpac failed to meet its consult obligations after BHP said it no longer needed him.
