Australian Airline Partners' bid to buy Qantas faces new conditions and delays after the private equity consortium agreed to a voluntary review by the Foreign Investment Review Board, while a new poll commissioned by unions shows four out of five people in key marginal seats are opposed to the takeover.
Queensland IR Minister John Mickel has today backed a call by an inquiry into Work Choices to set up a statutory authority modelled on the Victorian Workplace Rights Advocate.
The biggest donation from a union or employer group to a political party last year was the $100,000 given by the CFMEU (mining & energy division) to the ALP national office, Australian Electoral Commission disclosure documents released yesterday show.
Andrews' IR advisors to go to Hockey's office; $50,000 penalty for Canberra restaurant that underpaid workers; Eddington to head ALP business council; Not ripping up, removing, says Rudd; New book on High Court Work Choices ruling; Work Choices inquiry to release report; and Unions NSW's Currawong sold for $15m.
Qantas bidder APA has today qualified its guarantee to keep aircraft maintenance onshore, saying it only applies to its current fleet and not to new wide-body planes such as the Airbus 330 and 380 and the Boeing 787.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet today warned James Hardie shareholders that if they vote down the asbestos compensation deal next week in Amsterdam, then unions will "run this company down" and make sure its assets are directed to asbestos victims.
When AWU national secretary Bill Shorten heads for Canberra later this year, his successor at this stage seems likely to be either the union's Victorian-based national vice president Paul Howes or NSW branch president Mick Madden.
Shadow IR Minister Julia Gillard has stepped up Labor's call for former car parts maker Tristar to pay redundancy to employees because they have no work, as the company accused staff of refusing to perform available work.
The AIRC has agreed to hear a challenge to a late unlawful termination claim, even though the employer only objected after the case had already gone from conciliation in the Commission to the Federal Court.