A barrister's history of representing unions did not mean there could be a reasonable apprehension that he would be biased in arbitrating an industrial dispute between a demolition company and Victoria's Bracks Government, the State's Supreme Court has held.
An AIRC full bench has overturned a radical ruling that it would be against the public interest to terminate expired certified agreements covering Esso contractors because of the negative effects of proposed new rosters on workers and their families.
Three main contenders are lining up to replace Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Leigh Hubbard, who has announced today he will be leaving in April, after a decade in the job.
Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews says he is keen to consult on all aspects of workplace reform, despite his office telling Workplace Express last week that the Cole bill would be put to Parliament this year with no changes at all.
The CFMEU (construction division) is getting a mixed response from employers to its bid to bed down new agreements ahead of the Coalition gaining control of the Senate in July.
An employer has failed to win costs for an unfair termination case despite a former employee pleading guilty to three charges over conduct for which she was sacked, while in other recent dismissal cases tribunals have refused to accept a resignation letter written by an employer and an employer's dismissal of a sick employee.
Terence Cole, the head of the $65m Building and Construction Industry Royal Commission that handed down its report in 2003, has been awarded an Order of Australia for his contribution to reform of the industry.
The long-running and costly dispute over the forced redundancy of production and maintenance workers at Fairfax's Spencer Street plant has been resolved, with the employees who lost their jobs receiving an extra $20,000 each.
A Government-dominated federal parliamentary committee will consider the status of labour hire and independent contracting arrangements, in response to a request by Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews, who promised during last year's election campaign to introduce an Independent Contractors Act.
