In the News
- Public sector aged care workers in Victoria, who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, were stood down from front-line duties to prevent the latest outbreak from reaching the state’s most vulnerable people.
- Federal data revealed that just 11% of the aged care workforce has received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and only 8.74% have been fully vaccinated.
- Fast fashion giant Zara revealed that it has underpaid its in-store workers by a total of $2.6 million.
- People in greater Melbourne who have lost work as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown will receive a payment of either $500 or $325, as part of a financial support package.
- The NSW Government has announced that it will be making changes to the WHS Regulations to target the food delivery sector, accepting all of the recommendations contained in the Food Delivery Taskforce Report.
- 3 years after talks between unions and builders first reached a stalemate, the FWC has approved the deal between Australian Workers Union and John Holland, with tunnelling workers promised salaries of more than $300,000 a year.
- The Fair Work Commission has announced a 5% increase to the minimum wage and award minimum wages. The new national minimum wage will be $20.33 an hour, or $772.60 per week.
- New South Wales will be the first Australian state to introduce paid leave for public sector employees after the miscarriage of a child.
- The proposed Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill will extend the FWC’s anti-bullying jurisdiction to allow it to make a ‘stop sexual harassment order’ after a single incident.
In the Courts
- An employee, who was dismissed for serious misconduct following the misuse of their employer’s account at the local coffee shop, made an unfair dismissal application to the FWC. The FWC dismissed the application, noting that the employee had a “cavalier attitude to the coffee account”.
- The Fair Work Ombudsman has secured court-ordered penalties against the operator of an Italian eatery in the inner Melbourne suburb of South Yarra.
- The Fair Work Ombudsman has commenced legal proceedings against Woolworths for underpaying managers who received annualised salaries.
