Companies wanting to solve skills shortages with migrant labour will be presented with a planned national union protocol to be developed through the ACTU to protect Australian jobs and prevent exploitation of foreign workers.
The Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal has ordered a shop proprietor who sexually harassed three shop assistants - two of them 14 and 15 at the time - to pay a total of $70,000 in damages, plus costs.
The AIRC has found that a Safeway employee with 15 years' service should be allowed to continue to wear her diamante nose stud at work, except when handling or preparing fresh food or taking part in substantial customer contact.
An employer who refused a new mother's request to return to work part-time unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of her caring responsibilities, while it also transgressed when it banned her from speaking Arabic at work, an anti-discrimination tribunal has found.
Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews is seeking feedback by January 31 on two discussion papers released today which outline options for the award review process, including cutting back the 4,100 state and federal awards to fewer than 20.
The main new sources for workers as the labour market contracts over the next 20 years will be women with dependents and older people, according to a new Victorian Government taskforce report, released today, that says annual growth in the State's workforce will slow from the 1.5% achieved over the last decade to 0.7% over the next decade.
APESMA is set to weather the Work Choices challenge better than other unions, with its wholly-owned recruitment company contributing strongly to the union coffers, and new plans to expand the recruitment operation into the UK.
Employers will be banned from using genetic tests to discriminate against workers unless they demonstrate an actual inability to perform the inherent requirements of the job, under legislation being planned by the Federal Government.
Employees will have to routinely seek a medical certificate from a doctor every time they are absent from work on sick or carer's leave - incurring significant costs if bulk billing is unavailable - because there is no provision in the Work Choices legislation for obtaining a certificate afterwards, the ACTU told the Senate inquiry into the bill today.
