Supermarket giant Coles will conduct random wage audits of its trolley collection contractors, back pay 10 employees more than $220,000 and establish a $500,000 fund for any future underpayment claims, as part of an agreement with the Fair Work Ombudsman that acknowledges the company's "ethical and moral responsibility" to look after workers on its sites.
A Coalition Senate committee majority is recommending that parliament pass unamended the Federal Government bill that caps the redundancy entitlements of insolvent company employees at 16 weeks, while Labor and the Greens are opposing its passage.
Employment Minister Eric Abetz says that no formal decision has been made to create an appeal jurisdiction for the Fair Work Commission, despite Prime Minister Tony Abbott flagging his personal support for the plan.
Family First Senator Bob Day has used his first speech to parliament to press his argument for allowing job seekers to opt out of the regulated IR system if it will help them get work.
Allowing a late unfair dismissal application because of representative error is less likely to occur where the agent is not professionally qualified, a Fair Work Commission appeal bench has ruled.
The Law Council has come out against the Coalition's proposed creation of an independent appeal jurisdiction for the Fair Work Commission, saying the current mechanisms "do not need to be altered".
A Federal Circuit Court judge has slammed a barrister who said she was too "busy" to file written submissions in an adverse action case, criticising her conduct as "contemptuous" of his orders and "discourteous" to the court. He also said her involvement in another case might require investigation by "relevant authorities".
The Fair Work Commission has refused to suppress the name of an employer and an individual subject to a bullying claim, but has warned the employee that its ruling is not a green light to publicly reveal their identity before the hearing.
In its first ruling on the issue, the Fair Work Commission has decided that unions can include multiple employees in a single general protections application.
