The FWC has asked the Federal Government for extra resources to deal with a coronavirus-driven "surge" in unfair dismissal claims, according to the tribunal's president, who also expects the pandemic will bring about a permanent change in the organisation's operations, with many members and staff to continue working from home.
The FWC will approve consent coronavirus-driven changes to the vehicle manufacturing, repair services and retail award if it doesn't receive any objections by late this afternoon, while it has endorsed a variation that delays half of a pay rise for six months at Ford Australia.
A full Federal Court is likely before the end of the month to hear the CFMMEU's challenge to the Morrison Government's regulation that reduces from seven days to one day the required notice of changes to agreements during the coronavirus crisis.
An FWC full bench has asked the Morrison Government whether it will boost funding to compensate employers if it grants a contested $5-an-hour COVID-19 allowance claim for disability workers attending to self-isolated and quarantining clients.
A leading labour market economist has rebutted resource employers' demands for greater labour flexibility, saying the adaptability of the current system is underlined by the way it responded to the mining boom and the subsequent crash.
Employers will soon have access to a "complete toolkit" to achieve "COVIDsafe" workplaces when their businesses "reanimate" after the coronavirus hibernation, the Federal Government promised this afternoon, while the chief medical officer addressed the question of whether the coronavirus means the end of hotdesking.
Unions and Labor are urging the Morrison Government to revisit new JobKeeper eligibility criteria that excludes thousands of workers whose employers are owned by foreign governments, with aviation services giant Dnata now considering its viability.
700,000 employers register for JobKeeper; FWC president to address ALLA COVID-19 webinar; Half working fewer hours, one in three feeling financial strain, says ABS; Jobs and pay down 8% in month to mid-April.
RAFFWU is moving quickly to object to expedited employer-proposed, ACTU-supported COVID-19 variations to the Fast Food Award, applying to businesses not qualifying for the JobKeeper scheme and workers who fall through the cracks.
