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The Democrats have dealt the Government's IR reform agenda another blow, announcing yesterday that they would block moves to extend youth wages to AWAs.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley's private member's bill amending the Workplace Relations Act fleshes out key parts of Labor's agenda - providing a process for the Commission to reinstate provisions lost through award simplification, requiring good faith bargaining and establishing new objects that give greater priority to employees, unions and the Commission's jurisdiction.

The NSW Labour Hire Task Force, which met for the first time on Monday, has asked for submissions on whether legislation should be drafted to clarify who is the legal employer of labour hire employees or whether a code of conduct would provide sufficient guidance.

The crucial BHP Federal Court trial over the company's decision to move to individual contracts at its iron ore operations in the Pilbara gets underway in Melbourne on Monday morning.

The ALP's IR policy platform - released by Opposition Leader Kim Beazley today - commits it to a substantial re-regulation of IR, with Shadow IR Minister Arch Bevis promising to restore comprehensive awards, deem contractors as employees, return power to the IRC and recognise industry-wide bargaining.

Queensland's health unions have rejected the state health department's assertions that parties are close to wrapping up a deal in their latest bargaining dispute, and say they are still claiming a 12% pay rise over two years, despite the department maintaining they have agreed to a bottom line of 6.5% over the same period.

Maintenance workers at a NSW abbatoir have accepted AWAs that provide a standard 50-hour week and maximum shifts of 13.5 hours. Ordinary hours apply Monday to Saturday, with no specified span of hours.

Tasmania's Industrial Commission handed down a pay equity principle today as part of its review of the State's wage fixing principles.

July 1, the date many Victoria manufacturing employers have long feared, has come and gone with barely a whimper as the metal industry unions so far play the bargaining game strictly by the book.

Commissioner Bob Watling has been promoted to Deputy President of the Tasmanian Industrial Commission, while the CEO of the State's Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Tim Abey, is to be a new Commissioner.