IR reform: Burke open to changing small business coverage after Senate inquiry calls for 20 employee cut-off
Lawmakers should pass the federal government's highly contested industrial relations reform package if small businesses with fewer than 20 employees are excluded from the single-interest agreement overhaul, a Senate inquiry has found.
Qantas says multi-employer bargaining could jeopardise flight routes as unions condemn employment “loopholes”
Labor's omnibus industrial relations reform could impose devastating costs on Australian airlines and put the "viability of some services into question", Qantas says.
“Serious concerns”: Senate crossbenchers David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie say they won’t rubber-stamp Labor’s industrial relations reform bill
Labor hopes to pass its industrial relations bill by December 1, but key Senate crossbenchers say they need more time to assess the reforms.
The government’s draft IR reforms need proper safeguards to ensure businesses aren’t at risk
The proposed bargaining legislation prioritises the goal of lifting wages above the equally important goal of delivering the business productivity gains needed to fund such wage increases.
“Small business is at the front”: COSBOA celebrates Jobs and Skills Summit as SME issues appear in 36-point plan
Australia's small business community now sits front of mind for lawmakers after the Jobs and Skills Summit, COSBOA chief Alexi Boyd says.
Peter Strong: Discussion on collective bargaining is great, but small business needs protection against union intimidation
There must be better protection of business people and their employees from unions if any discussion around multi-employer agreements is to be entertained.
Mark McKenzie: ‘Multi-employer’ not ‘industry-wide’ bargaining needed for workplace relations reform
The suggestion that we return to an IR system that risks increasing the numbers of productive days lost due to strike action to address the flaws of the existing bargaining system is illogical, writes former COSBOA chair Mark McKenzie.
How will Labor keep its IR promises on wage growth and gender equality?
At this election, Labor campaigned on the need to address three key issues: wage stagnation, insecure jobs and gender inequality.
Morrison flags return to 2021’s industrial relations reforms as Labor, unions say tweaks will cut wages
The Coalition says it is still committed to industrial relations reform, despite Labor and unions saying the changes would lower wages.
Need to stand down staff? Here are the rules you need to know
Without the JobKeeper directions of last year, many businesses have had no choice but to stand down large parts of their workforce.
Conflict beats consensus in IR again, says COSBOA chair Mark McKenzie
McKenzie says conflict and zero-compromise behaviours must be relegated to pre-COVID IR history, where they belong.
Small business groups and unions strike deal to give part-timers in retail extra hours without penalty rates
COSBOA and the ACTU are jointly supporting changes to the retail award, which will allow more than 1 million part-time employees to work extra shifts without receiving penalty rates.
