A Senate inquiry's largely bipartisan support for the Turnbull Government's Protecting Vulnerable Workers Bill is a "striking indication" of how far the debate on the issue has advanced, according to Adelaide University Professor of Law, Andrew Stewart.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has dropped its prosecution of the MUA and seven seafarers, because the FWC's order for them to cease industrial action is likely to be invalid.
The FWC has upheld the sacking of an Australian Federal Police officer who stalked and intimidated his ex-partner when he left "used" condoms in her front yard and made offensive remarks on her Facebook page.
The FWC has criticised a company for fundamental failures of due process in a dismissal overseen by its HR function and warned that treating workers as human resources runs the risk of ignoring that they are "easily damaged" human beings "and when faulty they should be handled with more care than machines".
The bid to terminate the Coles Supermarkets enterprise agreement will be heard by an FWC full bench, after the Commission accepted that the 75,000-strong workforce it covered elevated the case to a "a matter of public significance because of its potentially broad economic and commercial effects."
The FWC has refused an employer's application to recoup its costs of defending an unfair dismissal claiming, noting the employer incurred its "unreasonable" $10,000-plus bill because its chose a law firm that provided a "Rolls Royce service".
An Emirates airlines group subsidiary has made a last-minute decision to withdraw a new enterprise agreement for ground-handling work that faced strong opposition from the ASU and TWU.
BHP Coal is seeking special leave from the High Court to challenge a ruling that allowed the CFMEU to hold discussions in the crib room of a coal mine's dragline, but the union says permit holders could be left with nowhere to meet with workers if the company's interpretation is accepted.
The Federal Court has imposed a $2,500 fine on CFMEU construction and general division national secretary Dave Noonan, over unlawful conduct that halted work at Perth's $1.2 billion children's hospital project in 2013.
A Senate inquiry has recommended an employer who gives a union official a $20 bottle of wine for speaking at a conference be exempted from sanctions in the corrupting benefits legislation that is before the House of Representatives today.
