The ETU is seeking to flow-on across the labour hire sector in Victoria a deal hammered out with Skilled Engineering that doesn't mention the 36-hour week but effectively commits to bringing it in by February 2006.
In a major development in WA, the AMWU and CFMEU (construction division) have put aside years of damaging brawling to reach an agreement on coverage. The CFMEU, at the same time, has struck a deal with Woodside over its bid to get onto the giant North West Shelf gas project, meaning the Federal Court right of entry case that was due to start on Monday is off.
Boral has joined the ranks of publicly listed companies facing union-initiated shareholder campaigns, with the TWU (NSW branch) planning to put up six resolutions – covering OH&S and executive remuneration – to its October annual general meeting.
A full bench of the AIRC has found that a clause in an enterprise agreement requiring an employer to contact unemployed AMWU or CFMEU members first when hiring new workers was not "objectionable" under the Workplace Relations Act.
In an instructive ruling for employers, a NSW tribunal has found a licenced club vicariously liable for the sexually harassment of a female worker, after finding management's failure to act gave her male colleague "a virtual green light" to harass her.
Suncorp deal gets up despite no specific nominal expiry date; AIRC rejects greenfields agreement because employer not a "new" business; Pacific National drivers ordered back to work after changed work practices; and Education deal stumbles on union encouragement clause.
Older workers will have to accept part-time and contract work if they wish to remain in the workforce, PM John Howard said today as he announced an inquiry into boosting their labour market participation rates.
The federal Minister for Ageing, Kevin Andrews, today outlined a four-point plan to help HR managers keep valuable mature-age employees in the workforce.
An AIRC full bench has upheld the reinstatement of four News Ltd printing workers who breached the company's drug and alcohol policy by drinking up to five schooners during their lunch break.
The CFMEU (construction and general division) is considering launching a new bid to extend its coverage into civil construction, after a Federal Court full bench threw out its long-running rules case on Friday.
