2014 Productivity Commission inquiry into IR page 3 of 4

34 articles are classified in All Articles > Royal commissions, parliamentary inquiries, reviews > 2014 Productivity Commission inquiry into IR


"Absolute" FOA might have averted Qantas shutdown: Union

The licenced aircraft engineers' union is urging the "liberalisation" of union coverage rules, saying that if they didn't exist at all, the industrial unrest that fuelled the bargaining battle between the union and Qantas might have been diminished before the airline dramatically shut down its operations and locked out its workforce in 2011.

IR laws too restrictive: BHP Billiton

BHP Billiton has nominated the Coalition's right of entry and greenfields amendments, stalled in the Senate, as its first priorities for IR change, telling the Productivity Commission it also wants restrictions on agreement content, faster relief from industrial action and a wound-back adverse action regime.



Pilot appeals program "promising": FWC

There are "promising" early results from a 12-month pilot program that is seeking to speed-up the appeals process in the FWC and reduce parties' costs, according to the tribunal's president, Justice Iain Ross.

Linfox recommends one-out-all-out for entry permit abuses

The NUW says there is no basis for a Linfox Australia submission to the Productivity Commission that recommends a radical overhaul of entry laws and cites a "case study" that criticises the union's conduct at a major retailer's warehouse.

Abolish wage discounts for over-18s: Small business advocate

The Office of the Australian Small Business Commissioner is pushing for the full adult wage to be paid from the age of 18, questioning the rationale behind the IR system "deeming adulthood to commence at 21".

Mandate FWC "productivity test" for agreements, says power CEO

The head of Networks NSW, which owns the power "poles and wires" entities that are to be privatised if the Coalition wins Saturday's NSW election, is pushing for FWC approval of agreements to be conditional on them undergoing an objective "productivity test" and is backing calls for the creation of a separate FWC appeals jurisdiction.

Fair Work laws riddled with problems: AiG

The AiG has called for sweeping changes to the Fair Work laws, including stronger management rights for employers, penalties for lawyers who encourage speculative dismissal or general protections claims, the return of individual contracts, and cashing-out of long service leave.

Inside job: Former FWC deputy president takes hatchet to tribunal

Just months after retiring as a senior Fair Work Commission member, Brendan McCarthy has launched an extraordinary attack on the tribunal's role and operation, claiming it is not the appropriate body to establish minimum standards, its members lack economic competence, and it misallocates resources.