New US President Joe Biden has come to office on a "pro-union" platform pledging to increase the national minimum wage to $US15 an hour and push through laws making it easier for workers to organise and bargain collectively.
A leading international IR academic has called for optimism and political courage to forge a new post-pandemic social contract designed to build more productive and resilient economies while rebuilding worker trust and making workplaces more inclusive.
A UK proposal to cap wages at £100,000 ($180,000) to finance low- and middle-income-earners' increases is not the best way to redistribute incomes and lift living standards, according to the Centre for Future Work, which says that targeting soaring corporate profits is "more powerful".
The New Zealand Labour Party has put industry-wide bargaining on the table ahead of next month's national election after pledging to legislate Fair Pay Agreements endorsed by former conservative Prime Minister Jim Bolger.
As some employers suggest that FWC's minimum wage panel might need to freeze or cut minimum pay due to the coronavirus crisis, the UK has lifted its wage floor to 60% of the median.
A Sydney University think tank has warned that a post-coronavirus reversal of globalisation could reduce labour productivity by up to 12%, when Australia could enjoy a 9% labour efficiency boost by matching world-leading levels of internationalisation.
A leading workplace academic has called on legislators to consider a UK parliamentary inquiry's recommendation to impose a legal obligation to protect workers from sexual harassment, with breaches resulting in "substantial financial penalties".
Union calls for a return to industry-wide bargaining to boost workers' earnings have won the backing of the OECD, which says in its annual global employment report that negotiations across industry sectors can lead to "lower wage inequality".
Fair Work Commission president Iain Ross says the tribunal will investigate establishing "administrative hubs" in suburban centres in order to improve access and reduce costs for the parties.
