A Fair Work Commission full bench headed by the tribunal's president will hear submissions next week on whether unions can lodge bullying order applications on behalf of workers.
The Coalition has made good on its election promise to launch a new guide and online learning program to help small business owners to hire new employees.
A test case that established that the Fair Work Commission is able to consider bullying that occurred before its anti-bullying jurisdiction took effect on January 1 has now been thrown out because the employer is not a "trading" corporation.
In a long-running case with numerous twists and turns, an unfairly dismissed anaesthetist has again failed to win his job back after a Fair Work Commission full bench ruled there were no errors in Deputy President Val Gostencnik's decision that Barwon Health's loss of trust and confidence in him made reinstatement inappropriate.
In its first substantive order under the new bullying jurisdiction, the Fair Work Commission has directed an employee not to have any unaccompanied contact with a co-worker or make comments about their clothes or appearance.
The AiG will argue for a raft of annual leave changes as part of the four-year review of modern awards, including greater powers for employers to compel workers to take annual leave during close-downs and when accrued leave reaches "excessive" levels.
In a significant decision, a Fair Work Commission full bench has agreed to scrap the 90% rate for 20-year-old retail workers, holding they should receive full adult pay after six months with an employer.
Private sector agreements approved in the December quarter provided average pay rises of 3.6% a year, slightly up on the 3.5% annual increase recorded in the September quarter, according to Department of Employment data released today.
FWBC head Nigel Hadgkiss has called for agreement clauses allowing industry-wide RDOs, weekend shutdowns and restrictions on subcontractors and labour hire to be "consigned to the past where they belong".
