Working from home is here to stay and will be "more effective for all" if it is supported by formal policies, hours are "relatively fixed hours" and it is voluntary, according to one of two university studies commissioned by the FWC as it considers inserting a WFH clause in the clerks award.
The modern award system might have comprehensively whittled down previous iterations but its complexity still baffles some users, according to the Attorney-General's Department.
Rebel union to line up against Minister, employers over award changes; ROC's Enright gets right of reply to Labor Senator; Award changes to support vehicle sector "in crisis"; Simplifying awards "code" for making profits, says academic; and Who's dipping into super?
Less than 2% of private sector workers will be covered by agreements by 2030 if the current rate of decline in bargaining continues, according to new analysis by the Centre for Future Work.
Liberal Party leadership challenger Peter Dutton has confirmed his support for cutting penalty rates, while trying to put forward other policy differences with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Protected action should be available to workers without the need for a secret ballot, according to the draft IR policy to be put to the ACTU's triennial Congress next week.
In one of the first extended discussions about the capacity to include incidental matters in modern awards, the FWC has called for further submissions on how or whether to incorporate a standard clause that would permit employers to deduct up to five weeks pay when employees quit without giving sufficient notice.
FWC President Iain Ross says a one-day conference in Sydney on Friday will focus on unpaid domestic violence leave and a possible model term, with unions and employers yet to agree on how to define family and domestic violence.
The FWC's minimum wage panel has decided against holding a preliminary hearing to consider new research on the budget required to sustain a healthy lifestyle, after the proposal only won support from Catholic employers.
