Category Archives: Industrial relations

Uber to limit surge pricing and commuters urged to work from home amid Sydney train shut down

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Government to meet union officials again on Thursday after a Wednesday meeting didn’t resolve the industrial dispute

Sydney’s trains are set to shut down this weekend after an emergency meeting between rail unions and the New South Wales premier on Wednesday produced no solutions.

The government will meet leaders from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union again on Thursday in a final bid to avert industrial action from train staff, which would see trains stop running across the city on Friday, Saturday and into Sunday.

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Former Labor senator to be Australia’s first anti-slavery commissioner

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With an estimated 41,000 people living in modern slavery in Australia, Chris Evans’ role to address exploitative practices such as forced marriage and deceptive recruiting

The former Labor minister Chris Evans will be Australia’s first anti-slavery commissioner, with the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, announcing that the longtime senator will take up a five-year term in December.

Evans served as immigration and workplace relations minister under the Rudd and Gillard governments, and is a former chief executive of anti-slavery group Walk Free’s faith-based arm Global Freedom Network.

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Employers shortchanged Australian workers a record amount of super last year, tax office says

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The dollar figure of superannuation that went unpaid after recovery efforts rose to $5.2bn from $4.8bn in 2022-23

Australian workers missed out on a record $5.2bn of superannuation that employers failed to pay last financial year, according to the Australian Taxation Office.

The ATO has released the data on the superannuation “gap” in its annual report, which also reveals that $1.4bn is likely to go unpaid because it is owed by insolvent companies.

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Qantas ordered to pay $170,000 to three workers illegally sacked at start of pandemic

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Judge rebukes airline for ‘vast legal costs’ expended to defend claims of illegally firing baggage handlers

A federal court judge has rebuked Qantas for the “vast legal costs” expended to defend claims it illegally sacked almost 1,700 baggage handlers in 2020, as former workers move a step closer towards a compensation payout.

Justice Michael Lee ruled on Monday that three test cases should receive $30,000, $40,000 and $100,000. They suffered varying amounts of “non-economic loss”, the court ruled.

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Sussan Ley says Richard Marles should resign if he failed to provide safe workplace for chief of staff

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Deputy opposition leader expresses concern for Jo Tarnawsky’s welfare after chief of staff claims she was effectively sacked

The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, says Richard Marles should resign if he has failed to provide a safe and respectful workplace as required under the ministerial code of conduct.

Ley said on Friday that allegations from the deputy prime minister’s chief of staff, Jo Tarnawksy, were “extremely serious” and expressed concern for her welfare.

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Revealed: University of Sydney spent millions more on consultants than repaying wages of casual staff

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Greens say revelations a ‘damning indictment’ that speak to a ‘broken governance culture’ at prestigious universities

The University of Sydney has spent millions of dollars more on external contractors and consultants – including PwC – for calculating and administering liability for wage underpayments and a review of its systems than it has paid out to staff, answers provided to the Greens have revealed.

In the answers to supplementary questions, provided to chair of the New South Wales education committee, Greens MLC Abigail Boyd, it was revealed the university had repaid 514 casual staff a total value of $2.8m as of last month, while across all “remediation work streams”, it had paid 10,692 professional staff a total value of $17.4m.

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Qantas engineers warn of ‘flight disruptions’ in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane as they walk off job over pay

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But the national carrier says contingencies are in place to prevent traveller chaos in capital cities on Monday morning

More than 1,000 Qantas engineers across Australia will walk off the job in industrial action they claim could kick the week off with peak-hour travel chaos, but the airline says it has contingencies in place and is not expecting any disruptions to travel.

Flights between 7am and 9am across three timezones on Monday morning are set to be affected in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

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Albanese targets Greens on ‘gesture-based’ climate politics in speech defending Labor’s business policies

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PM says Labor’s nature-positive legislation provides ‘vital certainty’ and talks up mutual respect in an address before the Business Council of Australia

Anthony Albanese has accused the Greens of “gesture-based climate amendments” to Labor’s environment legislation in a speech defending his government’s reform record and its relationship with big business.

In an address to the Business Council of Australia on Tuesday evening, Albanese said Labor is “pro-business and pro-worker” and sought to distinguish himself from Peter Dutton by arguing he respects their views even when he disagrees.

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Labor push for vote on help-to-buy bill delayed in Senate – as it happened

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White House marks three years since signing of Aukus agreement

Happy three-year anniversary of the signing of Aukus, to those who observe.

Three years ago, President Biden and our Australian and United Kingdom partners committed to Aukus, an enhanced security partnership that promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.

As this partnership has grown, it has strengthened the security of our allies in the region as well as our own security here at home. Over the past three years, our countries have made significant strides in supporting Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability.

That is bad news for Australian solar homes.

To create space for inflexible nuclear power plants ramming energy into the grid, millions of household solar systems will be the first casualty.

Solar power is already being switched off in South Australia when it makes so much free power available that it exceeds electricity demand.

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NSW nurses and midwives strike: hospital wait times up and surgery delays expected

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Premier says agreeing to 15% pay rise this year would lead other workers to ‘knock on my door’ demanding the same

A New South Wales nurses’ strike has prompted warnings to keep ambulances and emergency departments clear of minor cases as Labor feels the heat from public sector unions.

Nurses and midwives are walking off the job across NSW for 12 hours on Tuesday after demands for a 15% pay rise this year were rebuffed.

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High court will expedite challenge from former CFMEU officials against administration

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Former construction union bosses claim forced administration is unconstitutional because it prevents or limits political donations

Former construction union officials challenging the government’s law putting the union into administration will get their day in the high court as early as November, after the court agreed to expedite the case.

On Friday, the acting chief justice, Michelle Gordon, ordered a timetable that will allow the case to be heard this year after the plaintiffs argued the law prevented them giving political donations and campaigning ahead of the federal election, due by May 2025.

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Virgin Australia may have invaded employee’s privacy by accessing hotel footage, legal experts say

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Cabin crew member’s sacking has been overturned by the Fair Work Commission, but experts say case raises questions about workplace surveillance

Virgin Australia may have invaded the privacy of a cabin crew member when it accessed hotel CCTV footage and room swipecard records which revealed he had organised a Grindr hookup, legal experts say.

The Fair Work Commission in August overturned the sacking of the crew member, Dylan Macnish, after two separate incidents in 2023. Experts say the case raises serious questions about the extent of workplace surveillance.

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Builders and the Fair Work Commission are delaying CFMEU members’ pay deals, union leader says

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Electrical Trades Union secretary says it’s ‘appalling’ that agreements struck before the CFMEU was placed into administration ‘aren’t getting through’ the FWC

Blue-collar unions have taken aim at builders and the Fair Work Commission for delays approving pay deals struck before allegations of criminal misconduct and bikie links resulted in the construction union being placed into administration.

Troy Gray, the Electrical Trades Union Victorian secretary, said it was “appalling” that administrators have removed three union-appointed directors from the board of industry super fund Cbus and that enterprise agreements “aren’t getting through” the FWC.

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CFMEU administrator moves for ‘clean sweep’ of union super fund directors at Cbus

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Exclusive: Former national construction union secretary digs in, while ETU suspends Labor and ACTU contributions in protest of ‘trial by parliament’

The administrator of the construction union wants a “clean sweep” of union-appointed board directors on the Cbus industry super fund, prompting two resignations and a plan to sack another former union official.

On Wednesday a spokesperson for the Construction Forestry Maritime Employees Union confirmed Rita Mallia, who was sacked from her New South Wales construction president role on Friday, and former ACT secretary, Jason O’Mara, had resigned as member directors of the fund, which is one of Australia’s largest, with $94bn under management.

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Gig economy workers could win minimum employment standards under new laws

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Transport union will apply for food delivery drivers and couriers to be given superannuation, insurance and a pay safety net

Food delivery riders and parcel couriers could be granted minimum employment standards for the first time, as changes to employment law come into effect.

Independent contractors, including gig economy drivers and riders for companies such as UberEats, Menulog, DoorDash and Hungry Panda, could receive mandated workplace protections including superannuation, personal injury insurance and a safety net on pay to ensure they recover their costs each week, as the Transport Workers Union (TWU) makes landmark applications to the Fair Work Commission on Wednesday.

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Early childhood education workers to receive 15% pay rise – if centres limit fee increases

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Labor hopes forcing childcare centres to limit fee hikes to secure funding for wage rises will save parents from further price shocks

Early childhood education workers will receive a 15% pay increase funded by the government – but only if centres agree to limit fee increases.

The wage boost, first reported by Guardian Australia in April, fulfils a commitment from the Albanese government to better address the wage inequity for workers in the crucial sector.

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Australian sushi chain handed record fine for ‘audacious’ underpayment of vulnerable workers

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Staff at Sushi Bay were underpaid more than $650,000 with 163 employees suffering losses ranging from about $50 to just under $84,000, court finds

Record fines have been dished out for the “audacious” underpayment of migrant workers by a once-sprawling Aussie sushi chain.

Sushi Bay group companies were ordered to pay fines totalling $13.7m by the federal court on Monday after it was revealed workers were deliberately denied entitlements including penalty rates and annual leave payments.

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Ex-coalminer awarded $3.2m for black lung in Australian first

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A judge accepts Craig Keogh will never work again after developing pneumoconiosis from working in NSW and Queensland mines

A coalminer who developed black lung due to his employers’ negligence has been awarded a landmark legal victory and a multimillion-dollar payout.

Craig Keogh, a machine operator at New South Wales and Queensland mines, became the first Australian to win a black lung case at trial, paving the way for other sufferers to make successful compensation claims.

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Apprentice hung from noose and poked with drill during bullying campaign, Victorian court told

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Celsius Ballarat fined $10,000, with no conviction recorded, for failing to provide a safe work environment

A Victorian apprentice was hung from a noose and poked with a drill in his groin as part of prolonged bullying at work, with his employer fined $10,000 over the abuse.

The first-year apprentice was working for Celsius Ballarat Pty Ltd in Bakery Hill, near Ballarat, when he was targeted by colleagues, a court had heard.

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Uber told to pay banned Sydney driver $10,000 after failing to prove passenger’s complaint

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Exclusive: Rideshare company failed to gather evidence that driver with near-perfect rating had breached its code of conduct, tribunal finds

Uber has been ordered to pay $10,000 in damages to an Australian driver after it permanently banned him from working due to a passenger complaint but failed to gather evidence that he had breached its code of conduct.

The ruling from the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal related to Uber’s conduct when terminating the driver’s account af a trip in last August.

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