Wage increases of 4.6% a year in the federal public sector have coincided with a big reduction in the Commonwealth workforce, with new ABS data revealing employee numbers have been slashed by up to 12%.
A full bench of the NSW IRC (in Court Session) has confirmed that the State's unfair contracts provisions extend beyond individuals to corporations "performing work".
The Queensland IRC has overturned the dismissal of a mine worker for a serious safety breach, after finding he had misunderstood a key aspect of the policy.
A new Department of Education, Science and Training agreement that provides greater flexibility for employees in exchange for longer hours highlights the emerging public sector emphasis on family-friendly provisions, according to a public sector employment analyst.
In a further blow to unions' attempts to tackle "freeloaders", an IRC full bench has confirmed that the Commission can't certify agreements containing bargaining fee clauses.
A Federal Court full bench has overruled a decision that an information systems controller in the Royal Australian Air Force was unlawfully dismissed after being diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes.
The Federal Government has moved towards filling the last gap in its stable of discrimination legislation, with the release of its long-promised information paper on proposed age discrimination laws.
The National Union of Workers has applied to change its rules to overcome a recent IRC decision that hampers its ability to cover call centre workers performing sales work.
An apprentice hairdresser has been compensated for sexual harassment, after her male employer showed her a picture of a woman and a horse in a sex act.
In an important decision on federal dismissal laws, a full bench of the AIRC has ruled that workers making unfair dismissal claims have the right to appeal when the Commission issues a certificate that there is no reasonable prospect of a successful arbitration.
