In his final annual report before the institution he heads goes under the Federal Government's knife, the President of the AIRC, Justice Geoffrey Giudice, has acknowledged it was difficult to forecast the Commission's role and workload for the year ahead.
The AWU has shifted a group of Tasmanian public servants onto a State award, in what is expected to be the start of a rush by unions to protect their state public sector members from the Howard Government's second wave IR changes.
Allowances to be cut and "frozen", unions claim; Casual loadings could be reduced, says lawyer; award review taskforce deadline "a nonsense"; no more $25m payouts for Rio Tinto; and Melbourne Cup Day for WorkChoices, says PM.
BankWest will pay an annual increase of up to 4.5%, under a new two-year deal with the FSU that the bank's 2,500 employees will vote on late this month.
The Federal Court has upheld a tax office ruling imposing fringe beneftis tax (FBT) on employer contributions to the building industry redundancy fund, Incolink.
ACTU burns more than $4m on electronic media advertising against second wave; and PM and his underlings at odds over whether second wave is evolutionary.
Worker in WorkChoices advertisement kept in the dark; Andrews favours common law approach to defining independent contractors; Young workers right to believe they have inferior bargaining power, says Greens study; Second wave will lead to exploitation of vulnerable workers, say Sallies; IR advertising blitz yet to win hearts and minds; and US central bank head favours easier dismissal, labour market flexibility.
A WA employer has drawn on the Federal Government's new Cole-based construction industry legislation as part of a successful bid for a nine-month halt to industrial action by maintenance workers at an alumina refinery.
The Queensland IRC has refused to certify an agreement between the AWU and a Catholic nursing home for breaching the no-disadvantage test, after the nurses' union objected to the deal.
Prohibitions on unfair dismissal protections in agreements under WorkChoices will hinder small employers from competing for valued workers, according to Griffith University Professor of Industrial Relations David Peetz.
