In a significant ruling on academic free speech, a university lecturer has been given a second chance to challenge his sacking for superimposing a swastika on an Israeli flag after a full Federal Court found insufficient weight had been attached to an agreement's 'intellectual freedom' clause.
The Federal Court has for the second time this month found that government-owned Airservices Australia failed to meet agreement obligations to consult over changes affecting air traffic controllers, despite its "valiant" attempt to distinguish between 'policies' and 'procedures'.
Employers once said to be facing up to $38 billion in casuals' backpay claims have welcomed today's High Court confirmation that contracts are decisive in determining employment types, while workers' representatives have come out swinging.
The High Court has today unanimously upheld labour hire company Workpac's challenge to a finding that coal mineworker Robert Rossato was entitled to paid leave while engaged as a casual on consecutive contracts for almost four years.
The FWC has blocked a large employer's bid to move workers on to higher-paid staff roles as part of a restructure, telling the company the decision will "increase [its] cost benefits".
The RTBU is prosecuting a Melbourne tram company and its chief operations officer for allegedly misrepresenting drivers' rights to unpaid meal breaks when they are running behind timetable.
The FWC has rebuffed Wesfarmers subsidiary Officeworks' request that it be represented by law firm Freehills in a dispute with the SDA and has suggested, based on correspondence from the company, that its head of HR, Heidi Dorman, should appear.
Coles has avoided millions of dollars in penalties for underpaying Victorian workers after relying on an agreement clause that conflicts with State long service leave laws, leaving a court concerned its "paltry" $50,000 fine sets a poor precedent.
A worker engaged by Mondelez on end-to-end short-term contracts over 2.5 years has no right to pursue an unfair dismissal claim against the chocolate and confectionery giant, the FWC has ruled.
