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Articles on Fair Work Commission

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ACTU president Ged Kearney called on Malcolm Turnbull ‘to stand up for workers in this country, to actually change the laws to protect people’s pay’. Alex Murray/AAP

Sunday penalty rates cut opens new fight between government and opposition

Hospitality, fast food, retail and pharmacy workers stand to lose thousands of dollars per year after the Fair Work Commission’s landmark decision to cut penalty rates on Sundays and public holidays.
The choice of Kimberley Kitching to replace former Victorian senator Stephen Conroy was controversial within Labor, dividing the right faction. Mick Tsikas/AAP

Senate targets Kitching’s ‘untruthful’ evidence to commission

The Senate has voted 35-21 to note that its newest member, Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, was found to have provided untruthful evidence to the Fair Work Commission.
It’s not easy to walk away from an abusive relationship without the support of a flexible employer. AAP Image/Angela Brkic

Paid domestic violence leave: how do other countries do it?

It’s uncommon internationally for workers to have a statutory right to paid domestic violence leave, but things may be shifting.
When does an internship cross the line and become unlawful? www.shutterstock.com

Are unpaid internships unlawful?

Employers run the risk of breaking the law if they are getting interns to do work that otherwise would be done by paid employees.
Protesters were back on the streets demanding penalty rates be left alone when the Coalition government asked the Productivity Commission to look at workplace relations last year. AAP/Angus Livingston

The penalty rates time-bomb is ticking

Cutting penalty rates can be a vote-changer and the looming Fair Work Commission decision is tricky for both sides of politics. So what cards do the parties hold and how might they play them?
A labour ruling in the home state of ride-sharing group Uber has grappled with a vexed labour issue. Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

How a US ruling on Uber drivers could disrupt the disrupters

A ruling by the Californian Labor Commission that Uber drivers are employees, not individual contractors, might have much wider implications for the ride-sharing group.
A debate about penalty rates ought to involve the cash economy. Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

Penalty rates and their role in Australia’s cash economy

Amid the ongoing debate over the future of penalty rates, a subtle but important issue also deserves to be examined: their impact on Australia’s “cash economy”. The Fair Work Commission is currently reviewing…
The government wants young people to be learning or earning, but at some point they should be treated as adults. Dean Lewins/AAP

Earning, learning or confused: mixed signals on jobs for young

When should a young person start getting paid as an adult? It depends on where the money is coming from, according to current government policy - policy that is sending conflicting messages about the true…
The ‘brittle’ side of industrial relations: CFMEU members in dispute with their employer, Energy Australia. Julian Smith/AAPImage

Enterprise bargaining no great problem, but no panacea either

Over the course of the last few months, industrial relations has once again become a major issue on the national political agenda. Allegations of union corruption, uncompetitive wage deals, inflexible…
Tony Abbott has claimed penalty rates force businesses to close their doors AAP

Viewpoints: should penalty rates be abolished?

With a major review of workplace awards underway, the Federal Government has asked the Fair Work Commission to consider whether penalty rates and other minimum conditions are still relevant. In this Viewpoints…
Thanks to social media sites like Facebook, the line between our personal and work lives is being blurred all the time. Andalib/Flickr

Facebook is work, you just don’t know it yet

Social media presents many challenges for the world of work. One is the potential for employees’ online comments when off-duty to become a fertile source of evidence for allegations of misconduct and grounds…
It’s not likely legislative changes in the way bullying is handled will result in a flood of complaints. Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

Changing workplace bullying laws will not open floodgates

The response to legal changes that allow employees being bullied at work to apply to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for an order to make the behaviour stop has already attracted the predictable criticism…
Millions of workers struggle on the emerging periphery while those at the core enjoy the benefits of stability and skills. Shutterstock

Life on edge as new divide ignored

The Fair Work Commission’s recent wage review may have struck an increased pay deal for low-paid workers but its decision overlooks the growth of a worrying new divide in the Australian workforce. With…

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