A leading lawyer and academic has called for an overhaul of workplace bullying laws to extend cover to social media accessed at home and give the FWC power to award compensation.
The push to criminalise so-called "wage theft" by employers might be a less effective deterrent than an increased number of civil prosecutions, according to a new academic paper.
In a significant decision as to what constitutes industrial action, a full Federal Court has found that the legislative framework does not capture instances where a subcontractor's workers down tools with the support of their direct employer.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has begun the first proceedings using tougher new provisions relating to providing false and misleading documents during an investigation, Senate Estimates hearings have been told this week.
Unions NSW will in December argue before the High Court that that the "desired goal" of State restrictions on spending by third party campaigners is to deliberately create an uneven playing field by ensuring parties and candidates enjoy a "privileged position" in elections.
A Federal Court judge has questioned the "wisdom or fairness" of laws requiring employers to subtract four hours' pay for as little as 10 minutes unprotected action, after finding the AWU breached the Fair Work Act when an official asked a BlueScope manager not to dock returning strikers for starting a shift late.
The Morrison Government has introduced legislation to crack down on "sharp corporate practices" such as phoenix companies and asset-shifting by employers that are seeking to avoid paying employee entitlements.
A key independent senator says he will not support the Morrison Government's legislation to make it easier to deregister unions, introduce a public interest test for mergers and ban law-breaking officials, instead calling for a strong response to the finance scandals exposed at the Hayne Royal Commission.