An FWC full bench has taken aim at the legal advice given to a group of Coles distribution centre workers who over the course of four years and four adverse findings continued to pursue what ultimately became a "hopeless" case related to their work duties.
The Federal Court has refused to "declass", provide an "opt-in" or make a common fund order for a major class action that is seeking entitlements for at least 3350 telecommunications workers allegedly misclassified as subcontractors.
A court has penalised an early learning centre that refused on the basis of an alleged threat to its workers' "health and wellbeing" to allow a union organiser use its staff room to hold discussions, directing her instead to a storage room.
The Victorian Government has pushed ahead with legislation to create a criminal offence for deliberate underpayment, defying employer calls for it to be scrapped or delayed.
Another FWC member has rejected full bench advice that they should, in the face of objections, withdraw from arbitrating disputes they have previously conciliated, dismissing claims she displayed "antipathy" towards the union seeking her recusal.
A court has ordered that the Fair Work Ombudsman refund company directors any restitution made to former employees if the regulator is unable to track them down within 28 days.
The ASU has hit out at the FWO for letting Qantas off with a $390,500 "slap on the wrist" contrition fine for underpaying 640 misclassified head office workers by about $7.1 million, but the airline says its self-reported error also led to about $22 million in overpayments.
Unions and employer groups have been warned over claims that cars are being sold below market value to deliver "windfall gains" to employees, officials and third parties.
In rejecting an individual's claim that an ABCC notice to attend an examination was invalid as it did not enable her to decide whether she needed to answer all of its questions, the Federal Court has also contradicted the agency's position on the level of detail it must provide.
The Federal Court this morning kicks off a fortnight of hearings into allegations that the CFMMEU's construction division ousted two organisers in 2015 for whistleblowing.
