Western Australia's IRC has refused to adjourn a state unfair dismissal case pending the High Court's ruling on Work Choices, allowing a company to argue that the Commission has no jurisdiction to hear the matter under the new laws.
Optometry chain Australian Ophthalmic Supplies Pty Ltd (trading as Merringtons) will pay $17,565 in unpaid wages and $5,353 in interest to six current and former employees after consenting to orders in the Victorian Magistrates Court today.
A union has won a strike ballot order despite previously claiming prohibited content, in an AIRC decision that sets out principles for common law side agreements and negotiating "genuinely".
Today's inaugural meeting of State and Territory leaders - without the Prime Minister - has reached agreement committing to harmonising key areas of workers compensation and OHS, but has left IR until later.
The AWU and Caltex in Queensland will front the AIRC next week over the non payment of a wage increase linked to reducing operator numbers, but the union says bargaining in the oil industry this year has overall been straightforward and delivered annual wage increases of between 5% and 8%.
CBA rules out offshoring, for time being; International recruitment firms subject to ALP's planned s457 visa crackdown; CFMEU, MUA fork out $600,000 for November 30 protests; new AIRC Registrar starts; and Mithen leaves AHRI.
An AIRC full bench today dismissed an appeal supported by the Federal Government against orders for a secret ballot for industrial action after finding that the union was genuinely trying to reach agreement and not seeking to include prohibited content in a proposed collective agreement.
The Federal Court has today ruled that the ABCC has the power to prevent a worker it has called before it from being represented by a lawyer of his choice, in a decision the CFMEU says shows how "draconian" the Government's construction industry legislation is.
In a plan that is set to enrage the business lobby, unions are proposing an expanded set of minimum conditions to be supplemented by a re-empowered AIRC in their alternative IR policy to be voted on at the ACTU Congress this month.
