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.
IR Minister Christian Porter has asked FWC President Iain Ross to consider how to best insert "loaded rates" incorporating penalty rates and other benefits into four awards covering industries "distressed" by the coronavirus pandemic.
IR Minister Christian Porter has flagged that he is looking to change key awards so that permanent part-time employees can agree to work extra hours at their usual rates of pay as required, leading to less reliance on casual work.
An internal ACTU report says that employers and unions involved in the Morrison Government's IR working groups ended up at loggerheads over proposals to overhaul the award system, but found common cause on using shared data on award pay rates and entitlements.
The Morrison Government's five IR working groups failed to reach agreement on major changes to the Fair Work Act, according to a confidential ACTU report.
Treasury officials have sought to reassure senators that if employers recruit and engage young workers under the Morrison Government's $4 billion JobMaker hiring credit scheme, they won't breach the Age Discrimination Act.
A company accused of sacking a manager for refusing to "rort" JobKeeper has told a court it dismissed him for poor performance and a loss of trust, but has declined to plead to many allegations due to an ongoing criminal investigation.
About three-quarters of employers that participated in the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme used the temporary IR flexibilities such as employee stand-downs, according to a new report.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus is hopeful that agreement can be reached on a legal definition of casual employees, despite the Morrison Government's IR working groups ending with recriminations between union and employer groups.
Any IR legislative package introduced by the Morrison Government after the working groups process will be pragmatic, balanced and realistic and won't be ideologically-driven, IR Minister Christian Porter told employers in WA this morning.
