The MEAA and Fairfax have brokered a cooling-off period until Thursday midnight, after an all-night picket line stopped almost the full production run of The Age's bumper Saturday edition from reaching newsagents.
Victoria's Premier, Steve Bracks, has pre-empted the report of the IR taskforce set up by his Government, revealing the taskforce would recommend taking back some of the IR powers referred to the Commonwealth and establishing a system of voluntary mediation.
Unions are embarking on a new campaign to ensure workers' shareholdings - direct and held in super funds - are not used against their broad long-term interests.
Victoria's public sector nurses have won a one-off 3.5% pay increase plus a further 9% over three years, with the IRC accepting union arguments that there was a "crisis" in the industry that had to be addressed.
Fairfax's bargaining dispute with its 1,200 editorial employees has intensified, with the company moving to lock them out indefinitely from 3.30 this afternoon in response to the MEAA campaign of rolling stoppages that began on Wednesday evening.
Transcript of IRC proceedings will be available faster from September 11, when the Commission and service provider Auscript begin a new electronic delivery strategy.
A full bench of the IRC has handed down its decision on the new incentive payment scheme that will end the tally system in the meat processing industry.
The IRC will this morning resume hearing the AiG's application to terminate the bargaining periods of about 70 companies involved in Campaign 2000 in a case that has widespread implications for all pattern bargaining campaigns.
