Patrick and the MUA have today begun four days of assisted negotiations, despite an FWC full bench yesterday clearing the way for the union to resume industrial action.
The Fair Work Commission, in a decision published today, says it suspended the MUA's protected industrial action at Patrick container terminals to allow further private negotiations to be assisted by presidential member Anna Booth.
Changes to greenfields agreements bargaining, protected action ballots and unpaid parental leave have come into effect today, after the Federal Government's Fair Work Amendment Bill received Royal Assent yesterday.
Federal Court calling for IR lawyer feedback; Longest low wages growth since early '90s, says RBA; and SPC Ardmona workers win extra time to consider action.
Senior FWC member Anna Booth is today chairing negotiations between Hutchison Ports Australia and the MUA on a framework for a voluntary redundancy program the company will offer to employees in an enterprise deal that the parties have agreed to finalise by November 16.
A group of Senate crossbenchers is set to agree on limited changes to the Fair Work Act, including providing a mechanism for breaking bargaining deadlocks on greenfields agreements.
A full Federal Court has today dismissed a union appeal against an FWC decision that allows for agreements beyond their nominal expiry date to be terminated during the bargaining process.
The FWC has declined to issue bargaining orders against the MUA for its conduct in negotiations with offshore oil and gas vessel operators, despite finding it misrepresented the employers' position, played "fast and loose with the truth" and behaved in a manner that raised questions about whether it was genuinely trying to make replacement agreements.
The AWU faces a substantial damages bill after the Federal Court ruled today that the union took adverse action against Esso Australia when its members undertook unprotected industrial action in March, including using the action to coerce Esso into changing its bargaining position.
In an important ruling, the Federal Court has found that an interim bargaining order that the MUA didn’t comply with was “spent” and didn’t stop it proceeding with protected industrial action.
