A council's imposition of a seven-month "leave blackout" period in a quest for greater efficiencies has run foul of the FWC, the tribunal finding its failure to consult workers over the policy breached best practice and notification provisions in its agreement.
An FWC full bench has used a workplace determination to call on the federal government to relax public sector bargaining guidelines, at the same time as it questioned the legal standing of a major department's decision to "go harder" after workers voted down multiple proposed deals.
Average wage increases in private sector agreements approved in the September quarter have reached 3% a year for the first time since 2016, according to Jobs Department data released today.
The CFMMEU says two pared-back production and maintenance BHP agreements awaiting approval in the FWC would create an "in-house, cut-price labour hire workforce" and a "template for the mining industry to get around Skene".
Seven West Media says it will apply to terminate an enterprise agreement covering about 1300 employees unless it breaks a bargaining deadlock, making it arguably the highest-profile employer to pursue such a manoeuvre.
Production workers at CUB's brewery at Abbotsford in Victoria are set for some Christmas cheer after striking an in-principle agreement on a new three-year deal that provides annual pay rises of 4%.
Esso Australia and the AWU have resumed protracted negotiations over a new enterprise agreement covering offshore oil and gas workers in Bass Strait ahead of a February 4 hearing of the company's s225 application to terminate the existing deal.
An FWC full bench has upheld a decision that rejected a multinational drilling company's deal without first inviting it to respond to every concern, confirming that a denial of procedural fairness would not have guaranteed a new hearing anyway.
A Christian aged care home's "dismissive" and "disingenuous" response to FWC queries has scuttled an agreement's approval, the Commission finding the employer failed to adequately explain the deal to its predominantly non-English speaking workforce.
