The South Australian IRC has reserved its decision on whether to accede to Canberra's bid to adjourn the State Wage Case until the Fair Pay Commission makes its first determination in Spring, while the Federal Government is preparing to put similar submissions to the Queensland and NSW industrial tribunals.
In an important decision that could provide unfair dismissal protection to workers left exposed by Work Choices, a full bench of the NSW IRC has made clear it is not going down quietly, ruling it has the power to reinstate a sacked federally-covered worker.
The South Australian IRC has followed its NSW counterpart in flowing on to state award employees the family leave provisions the AIRC awarded federal workers last year, but which the Federal Government then refused to safeguard in Work Choices.
The FSU and National Australia Bank have reached in-principle agreement on a new three-year enterprise deal that doubles paid parental leave to 12 weeks, introduces a week's paid pre-natal leave, protects existing award conditions and delivers a 4% pay increase to most staff - down from 4.5% in the previous deal.
The LHMU, in its submission to the Award Review Taskforce, says that rushing into a system of industry-based awards is undesirable, and that the merits and history of existing awards should first be considered, with an emphasis on due process and extensive consultation with parties to awards.
Federal Labor is planning a detailed IR policy that will limit business options for introducing individual contracts, but does not go so far as abolishing existing individual workplace agreements.
Qualified IT professionals working in Victoria will be covered by a new federal award even if they are not working for companies in the IT industry, the AIRC has decided.
Allowances for long-distance truck drivers will be included in annual leave calculations after a long-running conciliation approved by an AIRC full bench.