Employment Minister Michaelia Cash is trying to drum up public support from business and employer groups for the Fair Work Commission's landmark decision to cut Sunday penalty rates for some retail and hospitality workers.
The FWC has reduced Sunday penalty rates in the hospitality, retail, fast food and pharmacy sectors and pared-back public holiday penalties in five awards, in a landmark ruling today by a five-member full bench.
The FWC has rejected an employer's jurisdictional objections to hearing the dismissal appeal of an employee over the high-income cap who worked on overseas assignments, finding that while he fell outside the enterprise agreement he was covered by the industry award.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has asked the Opposition to back new legislation that would scrap the Fair Work Act's mandatory four-yearly reviews of modern awards.
Queensland employers are urging the State and Federal governments to take responsibility for millions of dollars in backpay claims that could be pursued by apprentices after an FWC full bench held that an old State award that continued to dictate their pay was superseded three years ago.
FWC President Iain Ross has asked a full bench to review abandonment of employment clauses in six modern awards after a recent ruling that employers must take the "additional step" of ending the employment relationship when a worker walks off the job.
The CFMEU's mining and energy division has pledged to appeal a "shocking" FWC full bench decision that it claims would slash redundancy benefits for coal mining employees.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has flagged that Labor will seek to protect workers' take-home pay if the Fair Work Commission decides to reduce weekend penalty rates in its award review ruling.
