The AIRC has this afternoon recommended that RailCorp and its six unions engage in four days of intensive bargaining talks in a bid to avert industrial action.
With the Howard Government about to reintroduce its small business unfair dismissal exemption bill, the NSW IRC has just found one small business unfairly sacked a woman because she was pregnant, and another unfairly sacked an employee for supporting her colleagues when they sought compensation for award breaches.
The CPSU and the DEWR are embroiled in the same battle that dominated their last bargaining round - the department's bid to introduce a s170LK agreement.
Victorian unions will use this weekend's ALP State Conference to push for the Federal Labor caucus to maintain the IR policy taken into the October 9 election and for the Bracks Government to act to protect workers before the Howard Government takes control of the Senate next year.
In an important ruling, the NSW Court of Appeal has ruled that 13 female long-term casual state school teachers were subjected to indirect discrimination when they were denied access to a pay scale that allowed permanent employees to earn up to $10,000 more each year.
Employers who knowingly expose workers to serious OHS risks face jail and maximum fines of almost a million dollars, under new legislation to be introduced by the Bracks Government this week.
A group of 20 current and former business leaders including Patrick chair Chris Corrigan and BGC head Len Buckeridge have written to PM John Howard urging him to establish a high-profile inquiry into a further wave of IR change that would include whether unions should continue to enjoy special privileges.
Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has told employer groups that unions "would be taking a significant risk" if they relied on the Electrolux decision to claim current agreements are invalid and take what they say is protected action.