The Federal Court has fined Victorian metal union leaders Craig Johnston and Dean Mighell $20,000 each for contempt of court, but robbed them of the opportunity of serving jail terms if they default on the fines.
The AMWU (vehicle division) has served Ford Australia with a claim for a 24% pay rise over three years - the same quantum the union's metal division is seeking.
The NUW's maverick NSW secretary, Frank Belan, has confirmed that his union has disaffiliated from the ALP, in part because of the party's lack of assistance over the financially crippling David's dispute.
The ACTU has called on the Senate inquiry into the Federal Government's pattern bargaining bill to recommend that the legislation doesn't proceed to the Upper House.
The issues paper released this week by the Victorian IR Taskforce highlights that the former State Government's referral of IR powers to the Federal Government has left independent contractors out in the cold.
A new enterprise agreement covering ATSIC employees preserves conditions during a period of significant change, and introduces innovative ways to promote employees' health.
Unions at BHP's Pilbara iron ore operations are preparing to launch industrial action against the company, as it emerged that the company was unlikely to accept a union proposal for a collective agreement that mirrors the core conditions of the company's individual contracts.
An ACTU vice president has made a provocative assessment of where union power lies in Australia, saying it is the NSW Labor Council rather than the peak national union body that was most influential.
In an important case on workplace violence, a full bench of the IRC has upheld a decision to reinstate a worker sacked for fighting, primarily because he was acting in self-defence.