Burke hoses down fears that Canberra is seeking a blanket WFH right for award workers
The Fair Work Commission is not asking whether award workers should have the blanket right to work from home, and lawmakers are not currently seeking that right, claims Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke.
Work from home rights for award workers under consideration by FWC
The Fair Work Commission is considering whether modern awards should cover working from home arrangements, a move that could drastically change employment conditions for small businesses.
Explainer: What the “right to disconnect” means for businesses and workers
Australian workplaces and employees are only a few steps away from a legal "right to disconnect", allowing workers to mute their phones and shut off their laptops outside of working hours.
Right to disconnect: Tony Burke defends “reasonable” out-of-hours contact as SMEs demand to see fine print
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke says it is reasonable for employers to email staff and enquire about shifts outside of working hours, as the debate about the 'right to disconnect' heats up.
“Unacceptable”: Port dispute results in significant out-of-stocks for retailers
Retailers have reported delays and significant out-of-stocks as a result of the ongoing dispute between port operator DP World and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).
COSBOA slams senators after shock Closing Loopholes Bill split
Australia's most prominent small business lobby has chastised Senate crossbenchers over a last-minute deal that saw "radical" industrial relations reforms pass into law this month.
Analysis: Employer group anger over IR reform that affects 327,100 labour-hire workers
The reaction of business groups and the Coalition to the government securing passage of its same job, same pay bill on Thursday — legislation that will prevent employers from outsourcing jobs to labour-hire firms that pay contracted workers less than award rates — was apoplectic, writes Bernard Keane.
Small business groups left fuming over “damaging” and “rushed” IR reforms
Small business advocates say the latest industrial relations reforms are "damaging", after a last-minute deal between Labor and key Senate crossbenchers saw significant changes legislated on the last sitting day of the year.
Downsized Closing Loopholes Bill passes in Parliament after surprise Labor-crossbench deal
The Albanese government's controversial industrial relations reform bill will be split in two, after a surprise agreement between Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke and Independent Senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie on the final parliamentary sitting day of the year.
COSBOA ‘highly concerned’ latest tranche of IR changes will push small businesses to the wall
It is alarming the Albanese government has rammed the Closing Loopholes Bill through the Lower House despite being roundly rejected as flawed and unworkable by small businesses, says COSBOA.
Labor reworks casual rules, gig economy changes in amended IR Bill
The Albanese government has scrapped its plan to impose civil penalties for breaching some casual work rules, and offered assurances that 'employee-like' gig workers will not count as full employees, in a fresh round of amendments to its IR Bill.
FWC issues final ‘zombie’ agreement warning ahead of December 7 cutoff
Employers have barely two weeks to prepare for the sunsetting of 'zombie' workplace agreements on December 7, the Fair Work Commission says, in a last-minute warning to workplaces still using agreements struck before 2010.
