Unions will launch High Court action against Qantas over allegations the airline manipulated rosters to pocket some of its wage subsidy payments.
A December court ruling found in favour of the Qantas interpretation of JobKeeper, overturning an earlier decision backing unions.
The full Federal Court found the airline is allowed to use penalty rates paid in arrears to offset the amount of wage subsidies directly passed to employees.
But unions argued workers should be paid for the weekend, overtime and public holiday shifts they worked and want Qantas to pass all of the subsidy to workers.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said unions stance was about getting justice for workers.
Vaccinating medical personnel, aged care workers and quarantine hotel staff is critical, but what about the bus driver who gets these people home, the retail assistant who helps them at the supermarket, the hospitality worker who provides them with food and drink? said ACTU acting secretary Liam O Brien. Many essential workers are in regular close proximity with large sections of the community and often unable to distance themselves by virtue of the nature of their work.
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The Australian Retailers Association, which represents major chains including 7-Eleven and Bunnings, is also pushing for early access. We would like retail staff to be given priority in the roll-out given their frontline and essential services status and this is something we will be discussing with government, said Fleur Brown, the ARA s head of industry affairs.
Good morning, early birds. Residents of Ocean Farms Estate north of Perth have been issued an evacuation order as the Red Gully bushfire flares up again, and several regional NSW communities have been added to the list of COVID-19 exposure sites. It's the news you need to know, with Chris Woods.
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Superannuation funds and the Australian Council of Trade Unions warn the federal government s super reforms could put Australia s economic recovery at risk by encouraging funds to send money offshore and take up short-term investments.
A swathe of changes affecting the superannuation industry are expected to be introduced by the government in July, including strict penalties for companies that repeatedly report poor investment returns.
Major nation-building projects might not go ahead if benchmarks restrict long-term investment plans, funds warn.
Credit:Jason South
The legislation has been fiercely criticised by industry funds, which say that while they support benchmarks generally, they disagree with the way the proposed framework measures performance.