The key elements of Work Choices are likely to survive the States'/unions' challenge, though the legislation might have to be "slightly re-cast" after the High Court delivers its judgment, Melbourne barrister Stuart Wood has told a Samuel Griffith Society conference.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet today called on the Federal Government to repeal clauses of the Work Choices Act allowing workers to be sacked and rehired on lower wages, following a leaked OWS report on the Cowra Abattoir case.
Salaries offered to ER and IR managers have increased substantially in Brisbane and Adelaide in the past year, while HR directors and managers in most cities have done well, according to a survey by leading Australian recruitment company Hays.
The Cowra abattoir that tried to sack 29 workers then rehire some of them for less pay last month had acted lawfully, according to leaked preliminary advice from the OWS.
The Award Review Taskforce is on track to meet its tight July 31 deadline for finalising recommendations on new wage and classification structures, DEWR told a Senate Estimates hearing last night.
Employment Advocate Peter McIlwain today refused to give a "yes" or "no" answer to questions on whether leave to attend union-provided OHS training courses is prohibited content under Work Choices, after the Prime Minister publicly backed such training.
All AWAs filed in the first month of the Work Choices regime expressly removed at least one protected award condition, while one in six excluded all of them and most jettisoned annual leave loading, penalty rates and shiftwork loadings, Employment Advocate Peter McIlwain told a Senate estimates hearing this evening.
A youth workers' lobby today launched itself as a "rebel" trade union, planning to use the bargaining agency powers of the Work Choices Act to represent workers in fast food and retail.
