Agreements and bargaining page 85 of 175

New Zealand will consider enabling unions and employers to charge a bargaining fee for non-members under a new system of fair pay agreements that would mandate minimum rates and conditions across low-paid industries.

In the latest stage of a long battle by power and mining unions against the approval of a "small cohort" non-union agreement for maintenance employees, the FWC has given Mechanical Maintenance Solutions Pty Ltd a chance to provide an undertaking to overcome its failure to ensure the deal was genuinely agreed.

The NSW MBA has warned its members against bargaining with the CFMMEU construction and general division's State branch on a proposed enterprise agreement that is says is not compliant with the national construction code.

Esso Australia is appealing the FWC's refusal to terminate the agreement for its Bass Strait oil and gas operations, arguing the tribunal denied it procedural fairness.

The SDA has hit back at claims by RAFFWU that a Hungry Jack's deal awaiting approval in the FWC is the worst since the unregistered union's inception, rejecting contentions that it tries to "casualise part-time work" and denies workers a choice of super fund without paying enough to leave them better off.

The Federal Court has fined Airservices Australia for consciously failing to consult workers before forcing them to take leave during a Christmas/New Year shutdown period, observing there was "no point" in doing so once they returned to work.

A major employer has failed to apply the correct award in seeking approval for a new enterprise agreement covering two businesses, the FWC noting an HR manager involved in bargaining had "little to no knowledge" of the work performed by employees.

A subsidiary of an established mining services company has failed to convince the FWC not to hear from the CFMMEU on a deal covering eight workers at the time it was made, purportedly because the Fair Work Act intends for small business to enter into agreements "without hindrance".

The CFMMEU has been refused permission to appeal the approval of a labour hire company's deal on the basis the black coal award incorporated in the predecessor agreement did not allow for casual production and engineering workers, a majority FWC bench finding it possible the provision's absence was "simply overlooked" by the employer.

The FWC has for the second time thrown out a Sodexo offshore deal after hearing its HR manager and an employee involved in bargaining did not understand a swathe of significant changes, leaving "no confidence" it was properly explained to others.