Shadow IR Minister Brendan O'Connor has questioned whether industry awards are operating as a "decent safety net" any more, signalling that Labor is looking at ways to change the Fair Work Act to ensure negotiations over workers' wages and conditions are conducted "on a level playing field".
As the FWC minimum wage panel draws closer to a determination in its annual review, a discussion paper based on surveys of more than 700,000 "lesser skilled" Americans has questioned whether policymakers need to consider mechanisms other than minimum pay rates as a means of improving health outcomes for low-paid workers.
The SDA will withdraw its claim for extra pay rises of 10% for retail and fast food workers in this year's minimum wage review, the Fair Work Commission heard today.
The AHA, AAA and Pharmacy Guild have withdrawn their proposals to change the term "penalty rates" to "additional remuneration", ahead of a further hearing tomorrow on the weekend and public holidays penalty rates case.
An accountancy firm that knowingly failed to maintain current award rates of pay in its MYOB payroll system has been found accessorially liable for an employer's underpayments.
The Federal Government has sidestepped an "irregular" question from the Fair Work Commission about whether it planned to change the Fair Work Act to enable the tribunal to make take-home pay orders in cases like the landmark penalty rates review.
Business groups have told the FWC that it is prohibited from varying or revoking its decision to cut Sunday and public holiday penalty rates and have slammed United Voice over its call for the case to be immediately concluded so that it can launch a judicial review.
As the FWC calls for submissions on an employer bid to ditch the term "penalty rates" and replace it with "additional remuneration", a senior union-clientele lawyer is warning of a "slippery slope" if recognition of a need to compensate those working unsociable hours is removed.
