Everyone has those appointments, tasks or events that they just don’t want to show up for. However, there are some things you must bite the bullet and attend. It should go without saying that one of those times is when your attendance is required by a court. It appears this common sense has not transferred…
Category: News & Commentary
To text or not to text? That is the question.
Technology has fundamentally altered the way in which we interact. Five billion people use text messages globally every day. Socially, it is one of our primary ways of interacting. Staggeringly, if you are dating someone born after 1984, there is a 53% chance that if that person ends your relationship, it will come to an…
Employment Law Update | July 2019
Published 2 July 2019 Award Wages Increase Any business with employees who are covered by a modern award and are paying at or close to the minimum wage required under the modern award, it is important to review employees’ rates of pay in line with the changes that come into effect from 1 July. The…
Will religious organisations continue to receive exemptions to discriminate under the proposed Religious Discrimination Act?
Following the Coalition’s surprise election victory last month, religious discrimination laws appear to be one of the first issues to be considered by the new federal parliament. Attorney-General Christian Porter has confirmed he will, in the near future, present a “largely uncontroversial” bill to parliament to prevent religious discrimination. Whilst the exact content of the…
FWC Uses New Legislation to Approve Enterprise Agreement Despite Procedural Errors
The Fair Work Commission has utilised recent changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) to approve an enterprise agreement despite minor technical and procedural errors. There are strict requirements under the Fair Work Act that must be adhered to for an enterprise agreement to be approved by the Fair Work Commission. These include: A…
Fingerprint Scanning: A lawful and reasonable direction?
The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission this week held that an employee was unfairly dismissed for refusing to follow the employee’s direction to log in and out of work using a fingerprint scanner, on the grounds that this was not a ‘valid reason’ for dismissal. Typically, employers are able to dismiss an employee…