The Catholic Church has told the FWC's annual wage review that a 4.9% rise in the national minimum wage and award rates down to at least the C10 rate in the manufacturing award will maintain the momentum from the past two years' rulings that could reduce and ultimately eliminate the gap between the NMW and the national poverty line.
The Federal Court has thrown out a "time barred" former ROC case accusing a MEU mining and energy division president of misusing his union credit card to cover a series of private expenses in the 2016 financial year, while also finding no evidence of dishonesty.
Surging pay in public sector deals emerged as the main driver for bargained wage rises in the December quarter, while private sector increases tailed off, according to new DEWR data.
The paid agent found by the FWC's president to have engaged in "misleading and unethical practices", spurring efforts to regulate agents, has told the Commission it "vehemently opposes" mooted reform options, claiming it might limit low-paid workers' access to justice, including no-win, no fee arrangements.
The Minns Government in NSW is seeking submissions on a draft bill introducing portable long service leave to more than 200,000 community care workers in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, which would provide access to about six weeks off the job after seven years, or sooner if they register early.
FWC member Bernie Riordan has dismissed a recusal bid, denying that he is biased towards tradespeople and against women, but will reallocate the case to preserve the tribunal's "scarce" resources.
Labour productivity in the private sector increased by 1.3% last calendar year, according to the Productivity Commission, which says it has returned to a "normal" pattern across the economy after a surge during the pandemic.
The AMWU says workers will vote next week on an air-conditioning industry multi-employer deal that will lift pay by 26% over four years and require employers to draw from a pool of covered workers before engaging labour hire or additional casuals.
The ACTU has doubled down on "roster justice" recommendations that include a 28-day notification entitlement in its reply to the work and care stream of the modern awards review, while employers seek a "unilateral right" to make short-notice changes in some circumstances.
