Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia & Ors v Qantas Airways Limited

In a landmark decision on 18 May 2020, Justice Flick dismissed two dispute applications by the AMWU, CEPU, AWU and TWU as to whether Qantas had the right to prohibit …

‘The Spirit of Australia’, just not in a pandemic: Qantas plays hard-ball on workers’ rights

“Nine years ago, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce made himself a household name by embarking on a high-risk strategy in an industrial dispute that involved grounding the airline’s fleet globally. Faced …

‘The Spirit of Australia’, just not in a pandemic: Qantas plays hard-ball on workers’ rights

“Nine years ago, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce made himself a household name by embarking on a high-risk strategy in an industrial dispute that involved grounding the airline’s fleet globally. Faced …

Le groupe McDonald’s poursuivi devant l’OCDE pour « harcèlement sexuel systématique »

Une coalition internationale de syndicats a annoncé avoir porté plainte lundi 18 mai devant l’Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE) contre le groupe McDonald’s, accusé d’avoir échoué à lutter …

Age discrimination in a pandemic: COVID-19 and inequality at work

“COVID-19 is fundamentally reshaping the economy and world of work. Mass layoffs – in tourism, bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants, cinemas and casinos, but also increasingly in professional services – …

The Uber Eats Decision: Australia’s FWC Full Bench misses the chance to see through the gig economy’s sophistry

“On 21 April 2020, a Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission ruled that an Uber Eats delivery driver (Amita Gupta) could not bring an unfair dismissal claim as she …

Thoughts on the Foodora Fiasco: Have Labour Laws Been Violated?

“There’s a familiar pattern emerging.  Foodora announces its entry into a new country with a flourish, runs into legal problems that question its sketchy business model, and then shuts down claiming …

What do we know about the extent of stand downs, their legal basis, and challenging unlawful stand downs?

Over the last month, we have become all-too-familiar with a very old concept in employment law: stand downs. Government restrictions to contain COVID-19 have had a devastating economic impact, leading …

What Now for Wage Theft? Enforcement of Employment Rights and Entitlements in a Time of Crisis

“At the start of 2020, not a day would go by where a story of ‘wage theft’ did not appear in the major news outlets. There were multiple government inquiries …

Coronavirus and directing employees to work from home: examining an employer’s duty of care

“In the present wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, many employees have been directed by their employers to work from home. The question I pose here is: what impact might such …