The Howard Government is wasting no time in using its Senate control to advance its IR agenda, with the Cole building and construction industry legislation to be debated in the House of Representatives when the Spring session begins on Tuesday, and to reach the Senate on Thursday.
The High Court might hear the ACTU/ALP challenge to the Federal Government's $20m advertising campaign for its second wave IR changes on Monday, August 29 in Canberra, after Justice Bill Gummow held a directions hearing today in Canberra.
EDS Australia is facing its first serious union challenge since introducing s170LK agreements in 1999, with APESMA signing up hundreds of members at the US-based IT services giant ahead of a ballot on a new non-union deal later this month.
The ACTU has called on the Federal Government to legislate proposed entitlements in its undecided work and family test case as part of the second wave IR changes.
John Della Bosca has retained NSW's IR portfolio after today's frontbench reshuffle by new Premier Morris Iemma, who has committed the State to a High Court challenge against the Howard Government's hostile takeover of state IR systems.
Incoming NSW Premier, Morris Iemma, has committed to continuing with his predecessor Bob Carr's planned High Court challenge to the Federal Government's proposed IR laws.
The second wave IR changes could harm productivity in the public health sector and will not solve the important problems of labour and skills shortages, technological change and an ageing workforce, according to a new academic report.
The Prime Minister John Howard today continued to insist that conditions such as public holidays and smokos would not be scrapped under his second wave IR laws, despite this clearly being at odds with the package he announced to Parliament in May.
