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Extension of Schedule I under the Clerks – Private Sector Award 2020
On 30 September, the Fair Work Commission extended the operation of Schedule I in the Clerks Private Sector Award until 30 November 2020. Schedule I contains various provisions aimed at preserving the business viability during the COVID-19 pandemic. For administrative employees covered by this Award, subject to meeting all of the requirements in Schedule I, these provisions allow employers to: 1. Change the ordinary hours of work for employees working from home Where employees are working from home by agreement, the ordinary hours can be worked between 6.00 am [...]
Fair Work Flexibilities – Legacy Employers
The Covid-19 pandemic has had drastic impacts on the Australian economy. The Australian Federal Government has implemented schemes such as JobKeeper in response to preserve the employer-employee relationship and keep businesses and employees in work. The second phase of the JobKeeper scheme begins from 28 September 2020. It allows legacy employers who were previously qualified to receive JobKeeper 1.0 to continue to issue JobKeeper-enabling directions to eligible employees. Such a scheme has been put in place to assist employers who will not re-qualify for JobKeeper 2.0 from 28 September [...]
Amendments to the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld)
Several key amendments to the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld) (‘Act’) have been released by the Queensland Government that will impact on NECA members in QLD. A number of changes will come into operation on 1 October 2020 concerning new offences that are now subject to penalties, supporting statements for payment claims and payment of adjudicated amounts and payment withholding requests. Supporting Statements for Payment Claims Head Contractors who engage subcontractors will now be required under the Act to lodge a supporting statement from 1 [...]
An Employer’s Guide to the Upcoming Silly Season
It’s coming up to that time again, where we wrap up the year, celebrate the successes of the past 12 months and enjoy in Christmas festivities. With the holiday season fast approaching it is also important for businesses to remember that this time of year can come with its own specific issues that need to be managed including public holidays, Christmas-New Year close down and Christmas functions. Public Holidays Full-time employees are entitled to payment for public holidays referred to in the Fair Work Act, including Christmas Day, Boxing [...]
Unfair Dismissal and General Protections
In accordance with the contract of employment and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (‘Act’), employers have a legal right to terminate the employment of their employees. Where an employee believes they have been unfairly dismissed or terminated due to discrimination, or the employee exercising a workplace right, the employee may apply for an unfair dismissal or general protections claim. Employee rights in an Unfair Dismissal The Fair Work Commission (FWC) allows an employee to apply for a remedy if it can be found that the termination was harsh, [...]
QBCC to make changes to its accepted payment methods
From the 28 September 2020, QBCC will be making changes to their accepted payments methods. They will no longer be accepting cash, cheque or money orders as payments. Payments will be made through credit card, BPay and any direct debit services. These payments will extend to payments accompanying an adjudication process. Why is this an issue? Contractors may run into trouble lodging an adjudication application with the Registrar if they require a speedy lodgement process or do not have enough funds to lodge at the time of application. How [...]
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