The NSW public sector granted more than 87% of women's requests for flexible work ahead of COVID-19, according to a large PSA member survey that says the pandemic has proved there is still room for improvement in the Berejiklian Government's "if not why not" policy.
The FWC is likely tomorrow to extend COVID-19 flexibilities in the clerical award until the end of March, after the ACTU agreed not to oppose the move, while unions and employers are continuing to negotiate on proposed "enduring" working from home provisions.
The ACTU's national executive is today debating a Working from Home Charter of Rights, which will call for those working remotely to enjoy pay and conditions equal to those offered to on-site employees and have access to arbitration of disputes.
The CFMMEU construction and general division's NSW branch has warned sub-contractors that have signed its new pattern agreement they face being reported to the ABCC unless they switch to a nine-day fortnight from December 1.
The FWC has used the further extension of COVID-19-related flexibilities in the clerks award to advance its campaign for enduring changes in working-from-home arrangements, calling on employers and unions to report back on possible variations to address the issue by early next month.
The IR system will need to change to deal with challenges arising from the COVID-19 "new normal" of working from home, according to a briefing paper by the Centre for Future Work.
A national benchmarking survey of mature workers has found that many feel excluded from the workforce and perceive that they have inferior development opportunities and access to flexible work.
In a decision highlighting the perils of relying on nebulous performance measures to assess productivity, the FWC has ordered an IT company to compensate an employee dismissed after being assigned a "vague" To Do list.
An FWC full bench has upheld a finding that Victoria Police lacked reasonable business grounds to refuse a long-serving detective's request, under a "right to flexible working arrangements" clause, for extra rest days as he makes a transition to retirement.
The ASU and TWU have won access to sensitive internal documents held by aviation ground handlers Aerocare, despite the company arguing that a large number of the unions' members worked for competitors who would benefit from any insight into the algorithms behind its rostering system.
