industrial relations

First Right to Disconnect case raises eyebrows, but not precedents
The first of what may well be many employment disputes pertaining to the Right to Disconnect has caught the attention...
10 June 2025
By Jerome Doraisamy
‘A second Gilded Age’: Employer power over workers’ speech has gone too far, principal says
Liberal democracies like Australia should encourage citizens to freely express views without interference from...
09 June 2025
By Jerome Doraisamy
'Game of bluff’ with non-compete clauses is over for employers
With the Albanese government announcing the banning of non-compete clauses in budget 2025, employers can no longer bind...
27 March 2025
By Kace O'Neill
139k working days lost over industrial disputes last year
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that an additional 39,800 working days were lost...
13 March 2025
By Kace O'Neill
How businesses can better combat Australia’s wage theft epidemic
Wage theft has been a big issue affecting workers across multiple industries throughout Australia, enacting new laws...
13 March 2025
By Kace O'Neill
Maurice Blackburn changes striking staff’s ‘out-of-office’ emails
According to Maurice Blackburn employees engaged in today’s (6 March) industrial action, the national plaintiff law...
06 March 2025
By Kace O'Neill
Maurice Blackburn’s fight with employees over pay ramps up
Unionised lawyers and staff at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers will engage in industrial action, setting the stage for a...
05 March 2025
By Kace O'Neill
Employment law cases impacting workplaces in 2025
Here are five cases from 2024 that I predict might have a critical impact on employment law outcomes in workplaces in...
27 February 2025
By Paul O'Halloran
What happens if Dutton rolls back Right to Disconnect laws?
While aspiring prime minister Peter Dutton may intend to wind back the newly legislated Right to Disconnect, such a...
30 January 2025
By Kace O'Neill
A refresher for company directors on current workplace laws
Recent legislative changes made to Australian workplace regulations have reshaped the expectations for company...
17 December 2024
By Nich Burch
JWS appoints partner, special counsel for IR, employment team
National law firm Johnson Winter Slattery has appointed two senior associates from BigLaw rival Corrs Chambers...
05 November 2024
By Jerome Doraisamy
Right to Disconnect: Feasible or fantasy for lawyers?
The “Right to Disconnect” law throws a curveball at law firms, forcing them to rethink how they operate. But it’s...
24 September 2024
By Evana Diep
Fair Work cracks down on paid agents
In response to “concerning” conduct from paid agents representing applicants in Fair Work matters, the national...
12 September 2024
By Jerome Doraisamy
Right to Disconnect will ‘tighten the noose around the necks of SME owners’
While the new Right to Disconnect isn’t set to come into effect for small law firms for another year, detractors...
05 September 2024
By Kace O'Neill
‘Critical role’ of jurors stressed in Local Court ruling
A recent Local Court decision in NSW has reminded employers of their obligations to staff members who are summoned for...
02 September 2024
By Jerome Doraisamy
Are PIPs a ‘quiet firing’ tool for firms?
Performance improvement plans (PIPs) may be used by businesses, including law firms, that “lack the moral fibre to...
29 August 2024
By Kace O'Neill
FWC finalises ‘intentionally minimalist’ Right to Disconnect award term
The Fair Work Commission has determined that the new award term for the recently legislated Right to Disconnect should...
26 August 2024
By Jerome Doraisamy
‘Balanced approach’ needed on non-competes, say senior lawyers
The case for a ban on non-compete provisions may not stack up, a BigLaw partner and Sydney-based silk have...
22 August 2024
By Jerome Doraisamy
What is legal’s role in ensuring adherence to the Right to Disconnect?
With the recently legislated Right to Disconnect set to begin next week, law departments need to be across the looming...
20 August 2024
By Jerome Doraisamy
Grindr and a glass of prosecco: ‘Mystifying’ approach to allegations sees Virgin employee reinstated
An unfair dismissal claim has resulted in a cabin crew member with Virgin Airlines Australia being reinstated over what...
20 August 2024
By Kace O'Neill