CFMMEU mining and energy division members have this week kicked off protected action in BHP's Queensland coal mines, sparking early sparring over the company's proposed ban on allowing workers back into their accommodation camp while on strike.
Qantas has hit back at ACTU research detailing the labour hire "loopholes" it allegedly uses to suppress wages and conditions to the extent that on-hire managers, after more than a decade on the job, are earning less than the directly-engaged workers they supervise.
Labor Senator Tony Sheldon has hinted the Albanese Government will move quickly to introduce "urgent" legislative changes if the High Court overturns a Federal Court finding that Qantas took unlawful adverse action against nearly 2000 former ground crew when it rejected an in-house tender and outsourced their jobs.
The FWC has found that a HR manager who quit after her employer changed her responsibilities was not forced to resign, noting that although she had to report to a different manager, "a change in a reporting line does not constitute constructive dismissal".
The ASU is urging members to vote up a new Qantas deal that blocks the outsourcing of ground handling roles but allows the Flying Kangaroo to shift about 850 "senior professionals" onto individual contracts.
The ALAEA says a one-minute strike by Qantas licensed engineers played a crucial role in securing a proposed deal boosting job security as the Flying Kangaroo introduces new aircraft and enables Sydney LAMEs to radically change their roster to achieve "lifestyle benefits", while the airline has today confirmed it cut labour costs by about $570 million under its COVID-19 "recovery plan".
The CFMMEU's mining and energy division is calling for the Albanese Government to establish an energy transition authority by the end of the year, to lessen the hit on workers and regions flowing from the phasing-out of coal mining and coal-fired power generation.
The FWC has approved a company's transfer of employees to a newly purchased entity, to remove any connection to an associated entity embroiled in fraud and corruption and the risk of "brand damage".
A Fair Work Commission full bench has upheld a finding that a labour hire company must make redundancy payments to a dozen employees, detailing the steps made by its chief people officer but ruling it didn't do enough to procure alternative employment for its workforce.