The Federal Circuit Court has levelled a $75,000 fine and is expected to order more than $25,000 in compensation against the director of a liquidated supermarkets enterprise who withheld about $450,000 in union dues, superannuation and Easter rates from more than 200 employees.
In a decision further clarifying when and to what extent lawyers can become involved in FWC cases, the Commission says its rules do not stop parties seeking legal advice in the lead-up to hearings.
In a decision underlining the challenges for the Commission in managing vulnerable self-represented employees in its bullying jurisdiction, a full bench has rejected an employee's claim that a tribunal member's procedures were responsible for her mental distress.
An Australia Post employee has failed in a Federal Court bid to win reinstatement after his summary dismissal for acting as a paid industrial advocate for his colleagues.
An FWC full bench led by President Iain Ross has sent a powerful signal to members to back their own judgement in inherent requirements cases where there is conflicting medical evidence, describing a previous full bench decision ceding the final say to employers as "plainly wrong".
An FWC full bench has quashed an interlocutory decision allowing an employer to engage lawyers, finding it incumbent on the tribunal to give a self-represented employee an opportunity to weigh in on the matter.
A worker will have another shot at seeking a 45-day extension to file his general protections claim after an FWC full bench found he was wrongly refused on the basis that he needed a credible explanation for the entire length of the delay.
The SA Labor Party has pledged to criminalise wage theft if it retains power at the state election on March 17, with the worst repeat offenders facing jail terms of up to 15 years.
