The Federal ALP sought to reassure business representatives about its IR policies at a two-day business forum starting in Sydney today, promising to set up a Council of Business Advisers to formalise consultations if it wins next year's election.
Australia's deregulated labour market has allowed employers to pay more to in-demand skilled workers without causing a wages breakout, Prime Minister John Howard said this morning in a speech in which he attacked Labor's stance on 457 visas and called for a new emphasis on training people already in the workforce.
Employers should decide which agreement operates, says PM; ACTU polling shows support for collective bargaining; After-inflation Australian pay rises lower than global average, survey finds; ABC workers to go out next Thursday; WA IRC reserves on interim reinstatement order in jurisdictional test case; AIRC publishes special contact numbers for days when it's on the move; and Knight joins Andrews' office.
The OEA should produce annual reports that include comprehensive information on AWA pay and conditions, while the AFPC needs to monitor on a regular basis movements in wages and employment conditions among minimum wage workers, according to a new report.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet has clarified how the proposed new collective bargaining rights he outlined on Wednesday would work, while he says polling in marginal seats indicates strong support for the changes unions are seeking.
The AMMA has written to Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews seeking exemption from prosecution for companies that fail to comply with Work Choices' onerous record keeping obligation but are clearly not underpaying their workers.
The NSW IRC has wide discretion to make conditional reinstatement orders, even to the point of requiring an employee to abstain from alcohol during and after working hours and submit to a rigorous drug testing regime, a full bench has ruled.
ABCC to appeal Federal Court decision on payment for industrial action; Noonan elected national secretary of CFMEU construction division; Worker loses one of first unfair dismissal cases decided under Work Choices; and AIRC releases fact sheet on how to apply for a dispute to be resolved.
Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has accused ACTU secretary Greg Combet of revealing that Labor's alternative IR policy would not require the majority support of employees for a collective agreement.
