BHP has shifted ground from its recent contracts-only position and offered Pilbara iron ore workers a five-year collective agreement that mirrors the conditions in its individual contracts.
Australian and international unions have launched a global campaign to encourage institutional investors to install more independent directors on the Rio Tinto board.
Outgoing ACTU president Jennie George has called for new restrictions on regular and "permanent" casual work, just days after Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith pronounced that there is "no casualisation crisis" in Australia .
An IRC full bench has confirmed that sacked employees are entitled to claim damages for shock, humiliation and distress under the Workplace Relations Act, but found such compensation will only be available in "extraordinary" cases.
Defence Department employees have convincingly rejected a non-union enterprise agreement, after the CPSU urged a no vote on the basis that the 10.5% pay increase over three years wouldn't compensate workers sufficiently if the GST led to inflation blowing out.
