MUA members have overwhelmingly endorsed protected industrial action at the Port of Melbourne's "robo-terminal", as the union seeks to drag the automated stevedore towards more traditional industry working arrangements.
The ACCC has initiated a boycotts case against major construction company J Hutchinson and the CFMMEU, claiming the union persuaded the head contractor to ditch a waterproofing subcontractor that did not have a union deal, or face industrial action.
The CFMMEU's manufacturing division has defended a claim for annual pay rises of 4% at a major Melbourne packaging plant, arguing the business has boomed during the COVID-19 lockdown.
DP World is set to withdraw its bid to terminate the MUA's industrial action at its Port Botany container terminal, after the union gave an 11th-hour undertaking to halt bans and stoppages until the end of October.
Employees at three Officeworks' distribution centres in NSW and Victoria plan a 24-hour strike on Monday over what they say is a low-ball offer from management on a new enterprise agreement despite booming sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
International shipowners and shipping lines have warned governments around the country that protected industrial action by the MUA targeting individual ships could halt the flow of vital goods and threaten businesses and jobs in the logistics sector.
Hutchison Ports has won an extended five-day notice period for industrial action after failing to do so last year, winning a ruling that the coronavirus pandemic has tipped the balance and created exceptional circumstances.
In crucial ruling that "ameliorates" the effect of the High Court's Esso ruling, a union that faced having its proposed industrial action rendered unprotected when it didn't fully comply with a court order has won a full Federal Court finding that it can be retrospectively revoked.
The FWC has approved a protected action ballot at a major personal protection equipment company declared an "essential business" in the battle against coronavirus, after the employer withdrew multiple objections.
The AEC will no longer conduct attendance ballots for protected industrial action until the coronavirus crisis is resolved, prompting the FWC to vary multiple union PABO applications in order to delay the close of voting and allow for postal ballots.