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.
The Independent Education Union has failed to establish that its rules extend coverage to mobility instructors at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, despite the ASU reportedly conceding the teachers' union had a better chance of negotiating an agreement for the group.
The FWC has rejected arguments that the CFMEU engaged in pattern bargaining during negotiations over agreements with two crane operators, clearing the path for indefinite strikes to begin early this morning.
Alcoa says it would welcome an "alternative proposal" from the AWU after striking workers resoundingly rejected its latest offer, but it will not withdraw a bid to terminate the current deal.
As Woolworths, the SDA, AMIEU and AWU look to lock in an in-principle deal increasing penalty rates, delivering a potential $1100 sign-on bonus and grandfathering base rates, RAFFWU is holding out for an extra $1 billion it claims is owed by the retailer.
BlueScope is seeking to bolster a proposed three-year agreement at its Port Kembla steel operations with a guaranteed $4000 pre-payment from a new profit share scheme.
The CPSU says it will recommend Bureau of Meteorology workers reject a new agreement offer that relegates delegates' access rights to a side deal and makes them subject to management approval, vowing in the meantime to keep inserting campaign messages into the bureau's forecasts.
An FWC full bench has accepted that ordering a "cooling off" period unfairly rewarded an employer for its intransigence in refusing to bargain during a protected strike.
As thousands of NSW rail workers prepare to ban overtime from next Thursday amid an extended bargaining dispute, the FWC has thrown out an interlocutory bid to force employers and Treasury to reveal plans for future restructures or staff reductions plus any gains from productivity measures.
More than 20,000 Domino's workers will vote on an SDA-backed national agreement next week, despite RAFFWU labelling it a "terrible deal" scarcely improved by additional FWC-ordered talks.
