NSW's Supreme Court has awarded costs against an HR manager who followed through with a "unilateral" threat to destroy confidential information copied from his former employer, after another court found he was not unfairly sacked over his complaints to the chief executive.
A male worker and an employer that pledged to indemnify him after he was accused of sexual assaulting a female colleague have been ordered to jointly pay her $130,000 in damages for pain and suffering and for the company to pay a further $20,000 in aggravated damages, after it conducted a "trenchant defence" of the perpetrator, who took advantage of the young woman after she collapsed at work.
In a second-time-around ruling on accessorial liability, "exceptionally brilliant" inventor Kia Silverbrook and partner/fellow company director Janette Lee have this time failed to convince a court that they were not knowingly concerned in underpaying workers more than $1 million.
Ahead of a hearing into Workpac's bid to stop casuals winning leave entitlements, Adero Law says more than 600 mineworkers have already joined a new class action against the labour supplier that seeks to claw back up to $84 million for about 7000 on hire casuals.
After providing $150,000 to settle an underpayments claim brought by five fruit pickers last year, labour hire company Agri Labour Australia is facing a new claim from 26 seasonal workers alleging they were short-paid more than $200,000.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched the first legal action using new reverse onus of proof provisions that require employers to disprove underpayment claims if they have not kept adequate records.
The Federal Circuit Court has fined a former 7-Eleven operator more than $154,000 for using a cash-back scheme to circumvent a biometric payroll system introduced by head office to stamp out underpayments.
The Federal Court will next month convene a hearing for an ACCC prosecution of employment advice provider Employsure for allegedly misleading small business operators into believing it was the FWO or the FWC or was connected to them.
Victoria's Supreme Court has lobbed a $125,000 contempt fine against the CFMMEU for pre-amalgamation MUA leaders' speeches to picketers at a Melbourne container terminal, finding the union made a calculated decision that its interests would be well served by flouting "no go" orders.
