In a narrow interpretation of the Emwest principles, the AIRC today issued a s127 order stopping the AMWU from taking industrial action at car parts maker Trico, finding the union exceeded the bounds of a reserve clause in its enterprise agreement.
Wage rises in June quarter federal enterprise agreements have moderated to 3.8% a year, largely due to low increases in retail sector agreements, according to DEWR data released today.
In a case that demonstrates that unlawfully dismissed employees of small to medium sized businesses can win justice via the AIRC's unfair dismissal jurisdiction without having to pursue an unlawful dismissal action in the courts, a pharmacy assistant sacked due to her pregnancy has been reinstated.
An employer discriminated against a female secretary on the basis of her gender when she was the only employee not invited to a Christmas party where guests were served by a topless waitress, a tribunal has found.
It's an unusual compulsory conference if the employers aren't invited, but that was the case yesterday when the WA Employment Minister, John Kobelke, had the state branch of the CFMEU (construction division) and Unions WA before the State IRC, citing their alleged use of, or support for, the blue flu.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet today drew on the Federal Government commitment to "choice" in agreement-making to call for the introduction of a collective bargaining right at Australian workplaces where the majority of employees wanted a collective deal - similar to rights already in place in the UK, Canada, and the US.
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has today announced a new workplace watchdog to advise and protect workers in the State who are considering signing individual and collective deals under the Howard Government's proposed deregulated agreement-making regime.
A WA court has found it is not in the public interest for a commercial television station to dramatise the Howard Government's second wave IR changes by airing a covert recording of an employer allegedly explaining that he sacked an employee due to her pregnancy.
The AIRC has roped three major contract call centre companies into a safety net award that extends minimum standards across one of Australia's fastest-growing outsourcing industries.