Employment

Airport workers protested Friday as the Federal Court prepared to hear arguments in a case over whether staff can be made to work split shifts.

Courts can stop union officials from seeking union cover to avoid paying court-issued fines for breaking the Fair Work Act, the High Court said Wednesday.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union has been hit with a record $1 million fine for secondary boycotts at construction sites around Melbourne, a big win for Australia’s consumer regulator in its five-year legal battle with the union.

Slater & Gordon will face the Fair Work Commission in a dispute with the Australian Services Union after a “very unsatisfactory meeting” over the law firm’s restructuring plans.