Fair Work Commission President Iain Ross has been dragged into Victoria's firefighters' dispute, after state parliament heard he gave assurances about the proposed agreement for the Country Fire Authority.
Thousands of Victoria's public sector mental health nurses have this morning escalated protected industrial action to "expedite" negotiations for a new agreement, while in the private sector the ANMF is "strongly recommending" Healthscope nurses and midwives vote up a proposed deal.
The Andrews Labor Government has brought in Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner to help broker a peace deal in the standoff between paid and volunteer firefighters, which has spilled over into the federal election campaign.
An FWC full bench has ordered Melbourne's fire brigade to consult with the firefighters union over proposed changes to its recruitment procedures but not over quotas to increase female participation.
The Opposition has hinted that a Shorten Labor Government would axe the Coalition Government's public sector bargaining policy and the 2% wage cap, while 30,000 Victorian public sector employees are set to receive a backdated pay rise after voting up a new agreement.
More than 30,000 postal ballots have been sent to Victorian public sector employees as voting gets underway on an enterprise deal that delivers a 13% pay increase over four years and provides 20 days family violence leave.
The Victorian Auditor-General's damning audit report on the state health sector's response to bullying and harassment has found its agencies lack even the "fundamental, underpinning foundations of effective policies and procedures" to tackle the issue.
The Victorian Government has accepted recommendations to seek to shift the destructive "us and them" workplace culture in its metropolitan firefighting service to one based on "trust and respect".
The Victorian County Court has given suspended jail sentences to two former Cbus employees who pleaded guilty to giving false and misleading evidence to the Heydon Royal Commission.
