The High Court will deliver judgment Wednesday in an appeal by Qantas over its decision to sack its ground crew at the height of COVID-19, a ruling that could determine the scope of adverse action protections under the Fair Work Act.
The Full Court has held a Sydney Trains driver who worked the morning after blowing over four times the legal limit is entitled to a rehearing, finding the Fair Work Commission failed to properly consider a section of its own founding legislation.
If Qantas triumphs in its High Court appeal of a ruling that found it violated the Fair Work Act when it outsourced ground crew at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would create a “whack-a-mole” legal right to terminate disadvantaged people, the Transport Workers Union has argued.
A judge has rejected arguments by the Fair Work Ombudsman that the CFMMEU should be slugged with a penalty close to the maximum for the conduct of union officers who failed to show entry permits at a worksite, but she has imposed personal penalties against two officers with a record of prior breaches.
A judge has rejected a bid by the Australian rail union to recuse herself from hearing its case against Sydney Trains that seeks approval to deactivate Opal readers amid protracted industrial action, despite having represented the rail operator when she was a barrister last year.
A judge has raised concerns about a bid by the rail workers union for a judicial “green light” to deactivate ticket readers as part of a protracted industrial action in Sydney, saying the court should not be used as an “adviser”.
Hillsong Church has denied whistleblower allegations of extensive financial misconduct, claiming an employee was “not correct” to accuse the megachurch of funnelling donations through US bank accounts to skirt Australian charity regulations.
A judge has ordered Hillsong to file its defence to a lawsuit alleging extensive financial misconduct by the megachurch, including that it funnelled donations through US bank accounts to skirt Australian charity regulations.
The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission has begrudgingly overturned a ruling that found a Deliveroo driver who was axed for not working fast enough was an employee, saying a recent High Court judgment required it to “close our eyes” to the reality of gig economy work.
Qantas has asked the High Court to reverse a judgment that found it violated the Fair Work Act by axing 1,800 ground staff partly to prevent them from bringing industrial action.