Qantas Ground Services Pty Ltd has been found guilty of engaging in unlawful discriminatory conduct against an elected health and safety representative during the emergence of COVID-19, with a judge ruling that consultation failings on the HSR's part did not invalidate his cease-work directions or help Qantas's defence.
A leading legal expert on technology and the workplace has warned of the WHS risks and implications of using "bossware" to track workers' productivity, including that it can trigger cease-work orders under safety laws.
An appeals commission has upheld the psychological injury claim from a worker who was ridiculed for pushing for better COVID-safe standards. It rejected his employer's argument that his case was defeated by the fact that an alleged assault never occurred.
Union members across all states and territories will proactively block the transportation and use of certain silica-containing materials under a national WHS ban agreed on today.
The High Court has confirmed Qantas Airways Ltd took unlawful adverse action against 1,700 ground crew workers when it outsourced their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The union that brought the case applauded the judgment, and highlighted a string of workplace safety issues that it claims arose from the outsourcing arrangement.
Australia has taken a significant step towards the blanket ban of certain silica-containing workplace products, with the Australian Labor Party declaring the ban "necessary" under an amended WHS resolution.
