Workplace Relations and the new Federal Government

During the election campaign the then opposition announced several workplace policies with emphasis on the umbrella term “secure work”. Specifically, it indicated it would legislate a test for when a worker can be classified as a casual, provide that labour hire employees receive the same pay as direct hires and widen the FWC’s powers to include “employee-like” forms of work, which could include setting minimum standards for gig workers.

Post-dismissal discovery adds to employee’s woes

There is established legal precedent that a matter an employer did not know about at the time of dismissal can be relevant to the arguments against an unfairness finding later. Such a situation arose in a case examining if an employer’s main reason for terminating a nurse’s employment was valid. It was related to public health orders and vaccination and that part proceeded on its merits.

FWC Scathing Attack on Zombie Agreement Employer

A hospitality industry employer has been condemned by the FWC for sitting on a 20 year old agreement which was, by any measure, seriously sub-standard to the award it displaced. The fierce censure was contained in both the FWC reasons for decision and in incidental commentary, highlighting the negative impact on employees and the gross disadvantage at which competitors of the employer were placed.

Bullying – or Reasonable Management Action?

Often in bullying cases, the FWC is called on to distil if what has occurred is reasonable management action or bullying.

After hours conduct and dismissal

To properly assess whether an employee’s out of hours conduct is a valid reason for dismissal, an employer needs to make findings about the nature of the conduct and its relationship to the inherent requirements of the employee’s job, according to an appeal FWC full bench.

Can Notice not be noticed?

The tricky issue of exactly when has notice been effected, featured in two recent FWC decisions which examined when an employee knew, or ought to have known, of notice of an event.

Bargaining Disputes – the Forgotten Path to Resolution?

Sometimes bargaining gets bogged down and the way out gets harder to see. What many bargaining parties overlook is to use the FWC as a sounding board for their respective positions and maybe a way forward. And the FWC stands ready to serve as a recent case clearly demonstrates.

‘What does the Contract Say?’– High Court

In two more judgements concerning the true nature of an employment relationship, or if there even is such a relationship, the High Court has again focussed on the original intention of the parties to answer the question. And the message is clear – what is written in the contract really matters.