Surging coronavirus cases in Victoria have today prompted an FWC full bench to seek urgent submissions on a provisional view that it should now vary the aged care award to provide paid pandemic leave for employees, including casuals, who must self-isolate.
The "obvious impracticability" of sanitising a koala helped to justify a pandemic-affected wildlife sanctuary's decision to make redundant a worker responsible for co-ordinating photographs of visitors holding its main attraction, the FWC has found.
In reasons now published for extending COVID-19 variations to the clerks award despite ASU arguments they are no longer needed, an FWC full bench says Victoria's "second surge" in cases highlights continuing risk and uncertainty.
An FWC full bench has adjourned the union application to introduce a paid pandemic leave entitlememt for award-covered health and community workers required to self-isolate during the coronavirus crisis.
The SDA has failed to head off a double whammy for retail workers whose Sunday penalty rates fall this week despite a delay to minimum wage increases, after an FWC full bench found there was no presumption they should be aligned.
The FWC has extended COVID-19 variations in the fast food, retail, health industry and other awards, while adding new safeguards to extended flexibility measures in the clerks, hospitality and vehicle awards.
The SDA has applied to stave off next month's scheduled cut to retail workers' Sunday penalty rates to avoid a double whammy after the FWC minimum wage panel decided not to lift their pay until next year.
The employer application to vary key construction awards will be heard by an FWC full bench on July 8 and 9, in the face of strong opposition from building unions.
The ACTU and the Victorian Government in supplementary submissions to the FWC's annual wage review have maintained their requests for real wage increases, while the AiG has fallen into line with ACCI and backed a freeze.
Thirteen major law firms have dropped their application for temporary changes to the Legal Services Award in response to the coronavirus, a month after the ASU demanded they prove the changes were necessary.
