Just as the Morrison Government's Omnibus IR Bill says a casual will be defined on the basis of their job offer, rather than subsequent conduct, the labour hire company at the centre of a landmark casuals case has told the High Court employment contracts must be decisive.
The ACTU will today begin a media campaign targeting the Morrison Government's Omnibus IR Bill, as Federal Parliament returns for its first sitting week of the year.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has flagged he will make significant IR policy announcements in the second week of next month, with Labor and union sources saying it will include measures to increase job security.
IR Minister Christian Porter says that talks will soon start with employers and unions to work through the complex legal and workplace safety issues surrounding the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Morrison Government has signed a $198,000 contract for market research that might inform an advertising campaign to sell the changes in the IR omnibus bill that is before the Senate.
The RTBU's Victorian locomotive division has become the latest corner of an amalgamated union to resolve to use the new demerger laws to strike out on its own again after nearly three decades.
If the FWC incorporates loaded rates in hospitality and retail awards after a referral from IR Minister Christian Porter, it is likely to involve a range of such rates rather than a single one, the tribunal's president indicated in a statement today.
FWC President Iain Ross has agreed to consider IR Minister Christian Porter's request that he insert loaded rates into awards for "distressed" industries and will convene initial conferences next week.
The Morrison Government's IR omnibus legislation is seeking to extend the terms of large greenfields agreements to eight years, closing the door on lawful mid-project industrial action while new deals are negotiated.