Victoria's Parliament has passed legislation that will enable public sector workers to bargain for a wider range of matters, including minimum staffing levels and job security.
The FWC has used new legislation permitting it to overlook minor technical or procedural errors in agreements to endorse an enterprise deal with a bargaining notice that failed to comply with the Act's pre-approval requirements.
The calling of the Federal election has left several pieces of IR legislation stranded on the notice paper of the old parliament, including a push to apply a public interest test to union mergers
Company directors face tough penalties for avoiding employee entitlements under new laws cracking down on "sharp corporate practices" such as phoenixing and asset-shifting.
The ETU is anticipating multiple backpay claims on behalf of thousands of labour hire and FIFO workers at resource, electrical supply and construction companies across Australia as part of a new campaign seeking to challenge their classification as casuals.
Unions have stepped up their criticism of the Morrison Government's legislation that extends to all "regular casual" workers a right to request conversion to part-time or full-time employment.
The Morrison Government should withdraw its casual conversion bill due to "serious problems", according to Adelaide University Professor of Law, Andrew Stewart, who has also opened fire on the "worse than useless" regulation introduced to purportedly address employers' liabilities in the wake of the Workpac v Skene ruling.
In a battle of recruitment and rostering promises, the nurses and midwives union is calling on NSW's Berejiklian Government to match the state Opposition's pledge to fund legislated nurse-to-patient ratios of 1:4 during the day, 1:7 on night shifts and 1:3 for midwives if it wins the March 23 state election.
Employers have decried as "unfixing a problem" a Labor attempt to disallow new casual loading offset regulations, Shadow IR Minister Brendan O'Connor countering that the rules are just the Government's way of shifting responsibility.
There is an overwhelming case for change to the Fair Work Act, but neither a Shorten Labor Government nor a returned Coalition administration are likely to undertake fundamental reform, according to Adelaide University Professor of Law, Andrew Stewart.
