Employers are becoming increasingly liable for the conduct of employees under the influence of alcohol or drugs at work functions, an employment lawyer has warned.
Victoria's Attorney-General, Rob Hulls, has also taken on the IR and Workcover portfolios in the Bracks Government’s second-term ministry, which was announced this morning.
The LHMU has attributed the resolution of a dispute with McGuigan Simeon Wines to an aggressive shareholder campaign, after the company backed down from its threat to terminate a South Australian vineyard's enterprise agreement.
A battle with unions might be looming at Pacific National, after the company unveiled a bargaining agenda focussed on boosting productivity, removing restrictive work practices, introducing performance-based pay and increasing the flexibility of rostering.
Some 2,000 Xstrata Coal mineworkers returned to work last night after a 24-hour wildcat stoppage, while their union is today launching a Federal Court action over retrenchments at the company's Bulga mine.
A senior AIRC member has raised concerns about the risk of reduced public accountability if the Commission allows electronic hearings to expand. He also lambasted the Cole Royal Commission for its "beat-up" when it criticised the AIRC's agreement approval processes.
Some 450 Primus Telecom employees have won a six week paid maternity leave entitlement under a proposed new agreement, while 750 workers at another telco have struck an agreement that mirrors that of Telstra.
