The Australian Human Resources Institute has told the FWC's modern awards review that it opposes any expansion of working from home rights and does not support narrowing the grounds for refusing flexible work requests to "unjustifiable hardship".
The FWC has expressed dismay at a large aged care employer's "shift bidding" system in which it offers part-time workers extra hours only at ordinary pay, recommending instead that each employee get a chance to cap how many such shifts they are prepared to work without receiving overtime rates.
The FSU is backing the requests from 20 CBA workers seeking to extend the life of their zombie AWAs in the wake of a recent full bench finding that one of their colleagues would lose $17,000 in long service leave pay if she reverted to the bank's 2020 agreement.
Interested parties have until June 16 to respond to a FWC bench's proposal to amend model award terms to highlight the two "alternative and parallel avenues" now available to resolve disputes over flexible work and unpaid parental leave requests.
The FWC's review of awards in sectors hammered by the pandemic is starting to introduce changes stymied by the withdrawal of much of the IR Omnibus Bill, according to former Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James.
Requests by two HR consultancies to extend coronavirus-driven award variations providing more flexibility to work from home have prompted the FWC to expand the window for submissions on its provisional view that the measures should be wound up.
The FWC has taken the initiative of releasing a draft award schedule addressing working-from-home arrangements, describing it as conversation-starter that recognises the need to adapt to COVID-19 realities.
The SDA has applied to stave off next month's scheduled cut to retail workers' Sunday penalty rates to avoid a double whammy after the FWC minimum wage panel decided not to lift their pay until next year.
