Australian authorities are seeking assurances that the owners and operators of a coal carrier detained off the Queensland coast will pay the wages of about 20 crew and give them enough provisions for their journey to China.
In its annual review of the IR landscape, a major employment law firm concedes that while the Turnbull Government's workplace reform agenda may not be fully enacted in this parliamentary term, plans to crack down on worker exploitation have a good prospect of success.
The CFMEU has accused the FWBC of allowing a quest to "demonise" it get in the way of proper court processes following the watchdog's announcement that it has filed action against the union over alleged abuse of Gorgon LNG project workers.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has warned accessorial liability for workplace breaches is now being extended beyond employers and company directors to those working in human resources, management and recruitment.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has rejected a Labor proposal to make a joint submission to the Fair Work Commission on the importance of maintaining penalty rates.
A contractor "knowingly involved" in underpaying vulnerable supermarket trolley collectors and a subcontractor who "deliberately" produced false payment records and underpaid employees have been fined more than $90,000 by the Federal Court.
Law firm Maurice Blackburn is considering a test case exploring whether food delivery companies in Victoria such as Foodora and Deliveroo are engaging in sham contracting by engaging riders who claim they are being paid below award rates.
The FWC has recommended a Perth man working on the Ichthys LNG project in Darwin be paid a living-away-from-home allowance despite renting locally when he was employed.
Domino's Pizza says it intends to introduce penalty rates in its next agreement and that a Deutsche Bank report predicting the change could reduce profits by 24% does not factor in productivity measures implemented since the previous deal.
A court has ordered a 7-Eleven franchisee to pay a $150,000 penalty for deliberately underpaying employees and using a "reverse calculation" regime to cover its tracks.
