The Fair Work Commission has ruled that “theft is theft, no matter the value” as it dismisses the claims of two Virgin Australia baggage handlers who allegedly stole two packets of cigarettes worth less than $50 while loading freight onto a domestic flight.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is appealing the dismissal of its case over Pactific National’s purchase of Aurizon’s Acacia Ridge Terminal in Queensland, challenging the Federal Court’s power to accept Pacific National’s last-minute promise to ensure access to the major freight terminal by competitors.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions and seven other unions have launched legal action on behalf of 27,000 workers over an alleged “sham” bonus scheme designed to pressure staff into accepting a future enterprise agreement.
Landowners above the Sydney Metro underground tunnel will be allowed to claim compensation before construction is complete, with a court also preparing to consider potential compensation for any reduced development potential.
A second competition lawsuit brought against NSW Ports could be stayed or consolidated with a case launched by the competition regulator over an agreement to privatise Port Botany and Port Kembla, a court heard Tuesday.
Unions have called for urgent legislative reform after the Fair Work Ombudsman declined to take compliance action against Uber, finding that the ride-share giant’s drivers were independent contractors, not employees, under Australian law.
NSW Ports is facing a new lawsuit over an allegedly anti-competitive agreement entered into with the NSW state government for the privatisation of Port Botany and Port Kembla, which is the subject of a separate case brought by the competition regulator.
Indonesian national airline Garuda has been slapped with a $19 million penalty in the ACCC’s decade-long global cartel case over air cargo price-fixing, bringing the total penalties won by the competition regulator over the cartel to $132.5 million.
UK-based building products giant Hill & Smith Holdings wants to drag a Singaporean entity into its road safety patent dispute with Australian company Safe Barriers, whose directors are ex-employees of Hill & Smith.
A hearing scheduled for later this year in several class actions and an ACCC proceeding over allegations Volkswagen installed dual-mode software in diesel vehicles to cheat on emissions tests has been postponed, despite cries of prejudice from the consumer regulator.