Agreements and bargaining page 56 of 176

A second FWC decision in the space of 15 days has affirmed a less stringent approach to granting legal representation.

A FWC full bench has after granting the MUA permission to test the boundaries of what constitutes a "waterside worker" ultimately rejected its bid to revive an application for a majority support determination for control room operators at a liquefied gas storage facility.

A FWC bench has scrapped a contentious deal covering train drivers servicing the Roy Hill Pilbara mine network after finding the employer engaged in "corporate manipulation" by creating a parallel business to bargain with two newly-hired workers for an inferior agreement.

An FWC full bench has refused RAFFWU leave to appeal a finding that petitions showing almost 100% of 2000 participating Coles workers want to bargain are not enough to make a majority support determination.

In another test of public-private ventures, prison officers at the country's largest and newest correctional centre are considering striking after overwhelmingly rejecting what the CPSU called a "lowball" deal put forward by operator Serco Australia.

The RTBU is prosecuting a Melbourne tram company and its chief operations officer for allegedly misrepresenting drivers' rights to unpaid meal breaks when they are running behind timetable.

The RBA's board has rejected suggestions that recent wage pressures flowing from the unexpectedly rapid economic recovery, sub-5% unemployment and closed borders is leading to more generalised pay rises in the short term, while the bank's intelligence-gathering indicates employers are not planning catch-up increases for workers subjected to wage freezes.

The FWC has rebuffed Wesfarmers subsidiary Officeworks' request that it be represented by law firm Freehills in a dispute with the SDA and has suggested, based on correspondence from the company, that its head of HR, Heidi Dorman, should appear.

The FWC has signed off on a new deal for almost 50,000 Commonwealth Bank employees after the employer committed to delivering on the pre-vote impression that everyone would receive a pay rise.

AMMA says key ALP figures have been "generally receptive" to employer-proposed concessions to garner support for revised major projects greenfields agreement reforms, which would ensure annual pay rises and access to arbitration during six-year deals.