The Fair Work Ombudsman has asked a Victorian Government agency to urgently review the way it engages workers, after an investigation revealed it might be "misclassifying" employees as independent contractors.
Employment Minister Eric Abetz's own department looks next in line to take industrial action in the deadlocked public sector bargaining round - and it will include disrupting the information flow to his office.
The CPSU will ask members at the Department of Agriculture to endorse industrial action including more stringent screening of passengers and cargo at airports and bans on tasks associated with food exports and imports, under a protected ballot application to be lodged today.
The federal public sector's biggest department has made its workforce a new sub-inflation wages offer of 3.5% over three years, with a further 0.9% payable if executive employee numbers remain below a specified ratio.
A state government that lost confidence in its mining warden did not breach his employment contract when it removed him from office, nor did it contravene trade practices laws when it originally offered him the role, a court has ruled.
NSW power unions are pushing for a job security clause to cover thousands of workers at the state's two biggest "poles and wires" network businesses, which have been earmarked for privatisation if the Coalition is returned in March.
Department of Veterans' Affairs employees are set to vote on industrial action, as the federal public sector bargaining round remains deadlocked and the Prime Minister says it is "unlikely" any agency will pay more than the sub-inflation agreement for defence force personnel.
The impact on public sector bargaining of the implied constitutional limitation on Commonwealth interference with state governments is still not well enough understood, according to long-serving CPSU Victoria secretary Karen Batt.
A maths teacher employed as a casual for one month is suing the public school's principal and his supervisor for defamation after they assessed him – using a pro forma departmental form - as suitable only for limited casual teaching roles.
A court has rejected a discrimination complaint from an indigenous graduate employee of the former DEEWR, after accepting that the department's prompt, reasonable and informal response to a racially offensive remark should have ensured the employee wasn't injured in the enjoyment of her work.
