Yesterday
Union growth is back under Labor after a decade of decline
The ACTU says a return to collective bargaining under the Albanese government has helped unions increase their membership to 13 per cent of the workforce.
- David Marin-Guzman and Michael Read
Melbourne Uni’s $72m deal to settle backpay case sets precedent
The University of Melbourne has agreed to overhaul its compliance systems in an underpayment settlement that the regulator says sets the bar for large employers.
- David Marin-Guzman
Hit to Woolworths sales from strike grows to $140m, expected to rise
The supermarket giant agreed to a pay deal with the union on Saturday, ending industrial action. But it will take weeks to restock stores and warehouses.
- Carrie LaFrenz and David Marin-Guzman
This Month
- Exclusive
- Queensland votes
Labor paid $30m to union-backed bodies in dying hours of Qld rule
Despite promising the money as part of its re-election bid, the state government paid it to union-backed training organisations a day before entering caretaker mode.
- David Marin-Guzman and James Hall
Woolworths scrambles to restock shelves after strike ends
A deal has been struck between the supermarket giant and union workers, ending pickets of key warehouses that have left shelves bare for weeks.
- Samantha Lock and Adrian Black
Woolworths has partial win in union blockade leaving shelves bare
The retailer’s win at the Fair Work Commission could dent an indefinite strike that has cost it more than $50 million.
- David Marin-Guzman and Carrie LaFrenz
- Investigation
- CFMEU
How builders got captured by the CFMEU’s $1.2b redundancy fund
Master Builders Victoria’s solvency relies on millions of dollars in grants from the John Setka-backed Incolink fund, which whistleblowers say has created a huge conflict of interest.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Exclusive
- CFMEU
Builders lobby ‘entirely reliant’ on CFMEU millions
The key employer group for builders in Victoria relies on multimillion-dollar grants to stay afloat, creating potential conflicts of interest in its bargaining with the CFMEU, a whistleblower complaint alleges.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Exclusive
- Healthcare
Why Branson’s ex right-hand man is investing in workplace health
David Baxby has invested in just about everything from airlines to gyms. Now for the first time, he is putting his money into healthcare.
- Michael Smith
Investigation launched into claims ousted CFMEU boss used CCTV to spy
The Fair Work Commission investigation into former NSW union boss Darren Greenfield is the first under Labor’s laws that prevent former officials obstructing the administration of the CFMEU.
- David Marin-Guzman
UK journalists strike over planned sale of Observer
Reporters at The Guardian have begun a 48-hour walkout, the first in 50 years for the outlet, over a proposal to sell its sister paper to a digital media start-up.
- Eshe Nelson
Teals back more small business IR exemptions as unions baulk
In a letter to the workplace relations minister, lower-house teal MPs argued smaller firms should not be subject to the same workplace laws as big companies.
- Ronald Mizen
Breakthrough in crippling dispute holding up housing, roads for months
One of the most damaging industrial actions in the country may come to a stop after Ausgrid power workers ended four months of work bans after striking a deal.
- David Marin-Guzman
Push for McDonald’s pay rise shows danger of Labor’s laws, says BCA
Multi-employer bargaining has extended far beyond original intentions, according to the business lobby, including east coast miners and the fast food sector.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Updated
- Retail
Woolworths strike bill tops $50m as disruption spreads to Dan Murphy’s
The nation’s largest supermarket operator has applied for an urgent tribunal order to keep unions from blocking access to distribution sites in Victoria and NSW.
- Updated
- Carrie LaFrenz and David Marin-Guzman
ASX tops 8500; ZIP founder sells $100m in shares; Woolies loses $50m
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Woolies’ fresh crisis is nasty, but there’s a much bigger story here
New chief Amanda Bardwell’s baptism of fire has worsened, with a big hit from strikes. It’s a reminder that the cost-of-living crisis is far from done.
- James Thomson
Labor created loophole for CFMEU to delay projects: builders
Builders have accused the union of exploiting Labor’s new laws for safety delegates to get around “fit and proper” restrictions on entering building sites, disrupting projects.
- David Marin-Guzman
Woolworths shelves empty across Melbourne as union blocks deliveries
The scenes are reminiscent of the panic shopping and supply chain problems during the COVID-19 years.
- David Marin-Guzman
ACTU pushes for Labor to expand WFH rights
The ACTU is pushing to expand workers’ rights to challenge work-from-home refusals and raise the threshold for bosses to reject them.
- David Marin-Guzman
