OEA beefs up resources as it takes over agreement lodgement; Building worker's challenge to ABCC's Hadgkiss in Federal Court tomorrow; AMA says Work Choices medical certificate provisions trivialise sick leave; FSU more than $300,000 ahead after successful OHS prosecutions; and SDA's Victorian leadership sees off challenge.
Prime Minister John Howard today rejected claims that the Work Choices Act commencing today imposes excessive regulation on businesses, saying the laws will strengthen the economy.
The Howard Government has marked today's commencement of the Work Choices IR changes by announcing the appointment of the four part-time members of the Fair Pay Commission.
On the eve of Work Choices eliminating all unfair dismissal protection for the bulk of Australian workers and making it easy for even larger firms to sack at will, the Federal Opposition has released a broad outline of its plan to remodel dismissal laws, while the Prime Minister has warned disruptive employees that "they may not find it as easy to remain".
Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has given the Award Review Taskforce a one-month extension on its end-of-March deadline for submitting reports on the rationalisation of awards and wage classification structures.
The strict Work Choices rules on signing and lodging agreements has left employers involved in union bargaining exposed to significant fines, according to the AiG.
A Freehills partner has warned a Sydney conference today that employers in industries with low entry barriers should strongly consider using the opportunities for restructuring their employment arrangements available under Work Choices, or have their competitors beat them to it.
Despite the release of the Work Choices regulations, significant questions remain unanswered on how private dispute resolution will work under the new IR regime, according to an academic.
