The former head of the ACCC is today calling for an easing of secondary boycott prohibitions in competition law, in the final report of the price gouging inquiry he conducted for the ACTU.
The ACCC has flagged its willingness to examine no-poaching clauses in employment contracts and to reconsider the long-standing shielding of IR arrangements from competition laws.
The Productivity Commission says a review of the Albanese Government's new multi-employer bargaining measures should consider amending the Competition and Consumer Act so the ACCC can play a role.
The Albanese Government has asked the ACCC and Treasury for advice on the effects of non-compete clauses in employment contracts and any action warranted in response.
Teleworking, retraining and enhanced collective bargaining could lift pay growth that has been constrained by Australia's relatively "monopsonistic" labour market that gives a few dominant employers the upper hand in wage-setting, according to the OECD.
The ACCC has secured a maximum $750,000 fine against the CFMMEU for breaching competition laws when it pressured a major construction company to boycott a non-union subcontractor.
The ACCC's recent heightened focus on the building industry might be bearing fruit, after the Federal Court found this week that the CFMMEU induced and had knowing involvement in major construction company J Hutchinson's unlawful boycott of a non-union waterproofing subcontractor, the Federal Court has ruled.
Employsure has revealed that the ACCC rejected a $3.3 million offer to settle its false advertising prosecution that led to the Federal Court awarding the IR advisor costs of almost $900,000 but then hitting it with a $1 million penalty.
The Federal Court has today ordered IR advisor Employsure to pay a penalty of $1 million for making false or misleading representations via its advertising on Google that it had government sponsorship or approval, while the company might also face substantial costs.
The ACCC says IR has played a "pivotal role" in inhibiting productivity and efficiency gains at Australian ports, citing clauses in enterprise agreements that restrict recruitment decisions and automation.