Australian employers are increasingly adopting aspects of US-style bargaining, including thoroughly costing union claims, according to three Melbourne-based senior employer-clientele lawyers who have recently returned from their second annual IR study trip to North America.
In an important ruling, a Federal Court full bench has upheld a finding that Queensland Rail entities were obliged under their enterprise agreements to consult their employees about changes to employment arrangements that would flow from privatisation, but has substantially reduced the penalties they must pay.
Parramatta Leagues Club's sacking of its former chief financial officer for issuing an unauthorised $39,000 cheque just after a board change that resulted in the mid-season dumping of long-serving CEO Denis Fitzgerald was not unfair, Fair Work Australia has ruled.
The AiG is leading an employer push to prevent what it says is penalty rate double-dipping on public holidays, but unions and the Greens have moved to safeguard employees' rights to penalties when they work on Christmas Day.
A Sydney HR manager faces penalties for his role in sham contracting arrangements, despite evidence that he was oblivious that his conduct was unlawful and had acted on the orders of his employer.
A Gold Coast company and its director have been ordered to pay a former employee more than $50,000 for sexually harassing her and then dismissing her because she was pregnant.
A call-centre worker who complained of sexual harassment and was then sacked for using MySpace to criticise her employer's investigation - and for emailing pornographic images to co-workers - has failed in her unfair dismissal claim.
HR practitioners are devoting more time to IR issues following the introduction of the Fair Work Act, but most expect the spike in activity to drop away over the nextyear, according to an AHRI survey released today.
APESMA has closed its longstanding in-house engineering recruitment company, ETM Placements, and formed a partnership with recruitment specialist Bayside Group to provide a wider range of recruitment and career development services, while continuing to generate revenue for the union.
A mineworker dismissed after a night of drinking caused his blood-alcohol levels to be too high when he started work the next day has failed in his unfair dismissal claim.
