The administrators of struggling car parts maker Huon Corporation will have their claim for properties held by former company identities mediated under an order of the Victorian Supreme Court.
The Australian Government should provide $1 billion additional manufacturing assistance to head-off the 200,000 job losses that are otherwise likely to occur in the sector by 2020, according to a report by the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research.
Striking car part workers at Huon Corporation are likely to return to work by mid-morning today following the agreement of major customers to a rescue plan, unions say.
Major Australian car makers baulked at signing a rescue package for parts maker Huon Corporation last night, continuing a strike at its Victorian operations and threatening further stand downs, including in the South Australian car industry.
More than 500 striking workers at Huon's Bendigo and Frankston plants in Victoria have voted to return to work tomorrow conditional upon seven car manufacturing and components companies agreeing to new order contracts.
Fair Pay Commission chair Ian Harper has today played down the significance of research on links between employment levels and minimum wages that the AFPC commissioned from the University of Canberra's labour economist Professor Phil Lewis.
The ACCI has today adopted a new 10-point skilled migration policy, with its general council at the same time calling on the ALP to drop key planks of its IR policy, including abolishing AWAs.
While the ALP and unions are attacking Work Choices by highlighting its impact on individual employees, Prime Minister John Howard last night continued with his strategy of seeking to instead put Australia's economic performance centre-stage of the IR debate.
The AIRC has this afternoon resumed a conference with the administrators of Huon Corp, its major customers and unions, after five hours of talks last night.
