The AWU has been conditionally fined $40,000, while one of its organisers and three delegates have been fined $4,000 each for an illegal two-day strike at Roche Mining (JR)'s mineral sands plant at Hamilton in Victoria in March last year.
Labor has criticised the Federal Government's advertisements to promote the changes to Work Choices, saying Prime Minister John Howard is putting his hand in workers' pockets to fund Liberal Party propaganda.
The Federal Court has again struck out a claim by the AIPA against Qantas for supplying Jetstar with four Airbuses, but not permitting the aircraft to be crewed by Qantas employees.
The ALP national executive endorsed ACTU secretary Greg Combet as the candidate for the safe Labor seat of Charlton in NSW on Saturday, but he says he will remain the peak body's leader until close to the election.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet today confirmed he will be a candidate for the ALP NSW seat of Charlton in this year's federal election, as LHMU national secretary Jeff Lawrence said he would stand for the union top job.
Prime Minister John Howard has indicated his Government will be making further IR changes in two areas - duress and transmission of business - in addition to the safety net amendments he announced today.
Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has described the Coalition's new safety net for agreement-making as full of holes big enough to drive a Mack truck through, while his Deputy Julia Gillard has listed 10 questions she said the proposal failed to answer.
The Prime Minister John Howard has this morning moved to address community concerns about his Work Choices legislation, announcing a significant boost to the safety net for agreement making plus the reinstatement of a no-disadvantage test. He has also renamed both the OEA and the OWS.
Fair Work Australia will only intervene in protracted industrial disputes, Shadow IR Minister Julia Gillard has vowed, while the mining industry has put forward a compromise on AWAs, saying that if Labor would retain them, it would be prepared to accept the addition of a comprehensive no disadvantage test.
