Published 26 June 2016 The Industrial Relations Court found Trainee and Apprentice Placement Service Inc had a shared health and safety duty to their employee after placing him with a host employer and was fined $12,000 for failing to uphold this duty. Mr Reynolds had been placed with a host employer, Shear Edge Roofing, by…
Author: Brian Powles
Brian is an accredited specialist in employment and industrial relations law, who is partner of a successful boutique Sydney law firm. He also hosts the Working Knowledge podcast.
Unfair dismissal: Alexis King v D.C Lee & L.J Lyons [2016] FWC 1664
Published 26 June 2016 A woman whose employment as a solicitor was terminated for repeated unexplained absences, which resulted from domestic violence, was awarded $11,064.28 in compensation after the Fair Work Commission found the dismissal was unfair. King was employed by Lee and Lyons, a law firm, on 15 December 2014. On 19 December, King…
Do you know what is fact and fiction when it comes to casual employees?
Published 9 May 2016 Myth-Busting Claims About Casual Employees Casual employees are a valuable asset for many businesses as they provide the flexibility to cover shifts when other staff are sick or on leave, mean that there is someone to cover otherwise unpopular shifts and allow the business to react to increased customer demand at…
Productivity Commission: Workplace Relations Framework
Published 28 March 2016 The Productivity Commission handed down its report into the workplace relations framework on 21 December 2015. The report concludes that the current industrial relations system is largely working well, but that it does require some tweaks to address the issue of balance between parties with interests in the workplace. The Productivity…
Discrimination, reasonable adjustments and workplace injury: Butterworth v Independence Australia Services (Human Rights) [2015] VCAT 2056 (22 December 2015)
Published 28 March 2016 The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal awarded a woman $3,325.25 for economic loss and $10,000 for non-economic loss after her employment was terminated due to a workplace injury and a failure to make reasonable adjustments. Ms Butterworth worked at Independence Australia Services (IAS) as a Customer Service Officer from 2007 until…
Workplace Planning – what steps have you taken?
Published 14 March 2016 Are you well set up for Workforce Success? With the new business year now well underway, you will, no doubt, be seriously into workplace planning and strategising for the year ahead. Issues on the table might include: Is hiring more staff a priority? Is a new Enterprise Agreement on the cards?…