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The Federal Court has ordered an Xstrata subsidiary to provide the CFMEU's mining division with documents that will enable it to decide whether to include the mining company in an adverse action claim by a delegate who was sidelined after raising safety concerns.

Giving teenage employees free and discounted pizzas and soft drink instead of wages – a practice belonging "in the dark ages rather than twenty first century Australia" – has cost a pizza franchise operator $335,000 in fines.

The Master Builders Association has called on Canberra to act to give its proposed building watchdog the power to deal with secondary boycotts, which unions are using as a "weapon that has the capacity to send Master Builders' members to the wall or inflict sufficient damage to warrant complicity".

The Federal Court has endorsed an agreement for the MUA and two of its Sydney Branch officials to pay $41,000 in penalties to stevedores DP World for unlawful industrial action the union took in response to the company's plans to dismiss an employee who had been on long term leave.

A Federal Court full bench has this afternoon struck down FWC President Iain Ross's move to appoint himself to the expert panel conducting the review of default super funds in modern awards.

The Queensland Government has foreshadowed that it will argue for a new test for what constitutes a trading corporation, when the High Court later this year hears a union bid to ensure Queensland Rail workers remain covered by the Fair Work Act despite the state government's de-corporatisation of the rail authority.

The Queensland Government has repealed its requirement for unions to conduct a ballot of members before engaging in any political campaigning worth more than $10,000.

The Senate's Education and Employment Legislation Committee has recommended today that the upper house pass the government's Fair Work Amendment Bill unamended, with the ALP and the Greens tabling separate reports opposing the legislation.

A positive economic outlook and sustained labour productivity improvement are key factors in yesterday's Fair Work Commission's decision to award a 3% increase to award rates of pay, with the minimum wage panel again advising employer groups that they need to introduce more rigour to their surveys if they are to have any influence on the tribunal's deliberations.

Both sides are claiming victory in the contractual tug-of-war over veteran programming executive John Stephens, following the NSW Supreme Court's refusal to grant the Ten Network an injunction to stop him taking up a new role with the Seven Network.