A senior FWC member has thrown out a union challenge to a Commonwealth-owned business's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, while observing that having a "predisposed view" does not mean an employer has failed to genuinely consult about new policies.
The FWC has observed that a Victorian worker's application to work full-time from home under flexible work arrangements was largely motivated by her opposition to COVID-19 vaccinations, in upholding her employer's refusal of her request.
In a significant decision regarding the statutory meaning of "dismissed", a five-member FWC bench majority has ruled that an employer did not sack a worker when it shaved almost 10% off his annual pay for disciplinary reasons.
A full Federal Court has upheld findings that Qantas and Jetstar had no reasonable choice but to stand down hundreds of engineers due to coronavirus-driven events outside their control, but one member of the bench has warned that an incorrect interpretation of "stoppage of work" has been allowed to stand.
In a decision the RTBU expects to have "widespread ramifications" for employers and employees alike, potentially even disrupting sleep, a FWC full bench has held an unread text message changing an impending shift will satisfy Pacific National's notice requirements.
A university can proceed with plans to publish the results of student feedback on its courses after it overturned a FWC decision that upheld union concerns that the academics delivering them could be identified.
Mining unions have failed to convince a senior FWC member that BHP's vaccination mandate breaches the Privacy Act and that it would be reasonable to let workers confirm their inoculation status via the same check-in method they use to enter a pub.
The FWC has ordered stevedoring giant Qube to offer redundancy to a Sydney-based employee unable to work since cruise ships stopped operating in early 2020, accepting that alternative work in Wollongong would be "a huge disruption" to his family life.
The FWC has "reluctantly" applied the brakes to the NSW Government's COVID-19 vaccination mandate for some rail workers after finding it has an obligation to consider two unions' post-implementation challenges to the policy.