IR Minister Tony Burke is consulting with the Greens and key crossbench senators on including a "right to disconnect" in the Closing Loopholes No 2 legislation once Federal Parliament resumes next week.
A senior FWC member has delved into arbitral history to offer his own definition of a 'seven day shiftworker' after expressing frustration that there is no "simple" or "unambiguous" description of the term in the many awards it is employed.
The FWC is seeking feedback by March 12 on the possible incorporation into modern awards of key recommendations of the recent Senate work and care inquiry, including rights to work from home and to disconnect from the workplace.
The FWC has refused to grant Ventia an intractable bargaining declaration it sought after workers at outsourced Defence aviation firefighting operations in Queensland rejected its unilateral offer, in the tribunal's first contested IBD case determined by a single member.
A judge has held that an "instant" online script did not excuse an underpaying employer from having to attend a penalty hearing, while also warning that in future the court is unlikely to accept certificates from providers using the model adopted by the Wesfarmers-owned service.
A court has issued rare orders compelling a former economics professor to face FWO questions under oath about his capacity to pay penalties and compensation arising from underpayment judgments handed down in 2019 and 2020.
A director's argument that he is well qualified to represent his company in an underpayments case has fallen flat, a court citing a "lack of objectivity" as being among the reasons to reject the proposition.
An employer seeking to be covered by an existing agreement could potentially "operate in a better way" if a clause granting five days leave in return for working on three public holidays is removed, but the FWC has found the change would deny employees the chance to use the entitlement as a bargaining chip.
RAFFWU says it is suing Woolworths on behalf of about 1400 night shift workers allegedly "dragged into meetings" at the height of the pandemic and made to "radically change their work hours from overnight to day or evening work", costing individuals up to $30,000 a year.
