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In a ruling that serves as a warning to employers, the Federal Magistrates Court rejected an employer’s contention that pre-employment negotiations were not binding. In the case of McRae v Watson Wyatt Australia Pty Ltd, Federal Magistrate Raphael found that a redundancy provision that was discussed in pre-employment negotiations formed part of the employee’s contract. …

Employers have a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees. This requires employers to take reasonable steps to prevent employees from suffering injuries at work. A possible way of fulfilling this duty is to subject employees to drug and alcohol testing and prevent those under the influence of either drugs or …

The incoming Rudd Government has announced that a transition bill addressing a ban on new AWAs, defining its 10 minimum employment standards and award simplification process will be introduced in the first sitting of the new parliament next year, with legislation for Labor’s full workplace policy to become effective from 1 January 2010, to be …

A recent decision in the Federal Court highlights the importance of the content of company policy documents provided to employees and the need to ensure compliance with the processes and standards set out in such policy documents. We recommend you carefully consider whether the terms of any policies or procedures that provide benefits to employees, …

On 4 July 2007, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, The Hon. Joe Hockey MP, released the Workplace Relations Fact Sheet following the introduction of the Fairness Test under the Workplace Relations Amendment (A Stronger Safety Net) Act, 2007 on 28 June 2007. The Fact Sheet contains information on employee entitlements, including the Australian …

An employer who suspended an employee without pay over sexual harassment allegations has been ordered to pay the employee $20 000 for a failure to provide details of the complaints made against him.