Half a million retail and fast food workers employed under agreements negotiated by the SDA are more than $300 million a year worse off than they would be under awards, a Senate inquiry has been told.
The Federal Court has today ordered former TWU WA branch secretaries Jim McGiveron and Rick Burton to pay more than $65,000 in penalties, mostly for their roles in purchasing two "luxury utes" for their personal use and arranging a redundancy payment of almost $400,000 to McGiveron.
The new standalone regulator for registered organisations will start operating on Monday, May 1, with its new powers taking effect by the following day.
Australia's major banks say they will overhaul retail employees' pay structures to reduce the importance of incentives, commissions and variable rewards.
The Federal Court has today imposed almost $600,000 in fines on the CFMEU and 10 officials for organising two days of industrial action at nine Kane Constructions sites three years ago.
New ACTU secretary Sally McManus has defended her support for unionists to break "unjust laws", arguing the ability to strike is a "human right" and that Australia is out of step with international labour conventions.
The Productivity Commission has called for the assessment and approval of default superannuation providers to be removed from the award system and the oversight of the Fair Work Commission.