contracts Archives - MDC Legal

Overtime and Reasonable Additional Hours

Changes to modern award annualised salary clauses

Posted by | Articles, employment contracts, modern award, modern awards, polices and procedures | No Comments

By Mark Cox, Director and Renae Harg, Senior Associate 

New annualised salary clauses for a number of modern awards come into effect as of 1 March 2020. The annualised salary clauses increase the obligations on employers in relation to modern award annualised salaries, including notifications to employees, increased record keeping obligations and reconciliation of the amounts paid.

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MDC Legal Workplace Update – Spring 2019

Posted by | Articles, complaince, confidentiality, Contracts, disciplinary action, HR Advice & Support, polices and procedures, Policies and Procedures, sexual harassment | No Comments

Its Spring! Although it’s still brisk and blustery out there – in the weather and many of our clients’ businesses – with some ongoing workplace issues this year being ensuring the correct classification of workers as either employees or independent contractors, permanent or casual engagement, and new developments in domestic violence leave entitlements and casual conversion rights.

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What are your New Year’s Resolutions? New Year resolutions for employers in 2019

Posted by | casual staff, Contracts, HR Advice & Support, modern award, pay rates, polices and procedures, Policies and Procedures, training | No Comments

By Joanna Knoth, Senior Associate and Renae Harg, Senior Associate

Now that the festive season is over, employers can focus on the year ahead. What New Year’s resolutions are you making for your business?
Below are some practical New Year’s resolutions that may minimise your employment law risks.

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Contractor arrangements subject to continued scrutiny as Foodora rider found to be an employee

Posted by | Contracts, contractual entitlements, Doing Business in Australia, independent contractor, sub contractor, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Gemma Little, Lawyer 

In the recent decision of Joshua Klooger v Foodora Australia Pty Ltd [2018] FWC 6836, the Fair Work Commission held that a Foodora rider who was engaged as an independent contractor was in fact an employee and, therefore, eligible to bring an unfair dismissal claim.

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Keeping it casual: Casual employee entitled to annual leave

Posted by | complaince, Contracts, contractual entitlements, HR Advice & Support, leave entitlements, modern award | No Comments

By Renae Harg, Senior Associate and Lauren Wright, Lawyer 

WorkPac Pty Ltd v Skene [2018] FCAFC 131

The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has rejected WorkPac’s argument that the “industrial meaning” of the term “casual employee” has been incorporated into the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (the Act) for the purpose of the National Employment Standards (NES).

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Are you being underpaid? Are you underpaying your staff?

Posted by | Articles, complaince, Contracts, contractual entitlements, HR Advice & Support, modern award | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Lauren Wright, Lawyer

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) recently conducted an audit of businesses throughout the eastern states of Australia which found that 72% of the businesses had breached workplace laws.[1] The audit resulted in the recovery of $471,904 for 616 workers across the 234 businesses audited. The most common breach was an underpayment of hourly rates, followed by non-existent or inadequate employment records.

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Maximum term employees may be entitled to make unfair dismissal claims and be paid redundancy

Posted by | Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action | No Comments

By Mark Cox, Director and Lauren Wright, Lawyer

A maximum term contract is a contract which automatically ends at the expiry of a specified period while giving either party the right to terminate prior to the specified expiry by giving notice. This can be contrasted with a fixed term contract, which is also for a specified period but which does not make provision for early termination.

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What are your business’ New Year’s workplace relations resolutions?

Posted by | Articles, Contracts, Discrimination & Bullying, Dispute Resolution & Advocacy, HR Advice & Support, Industrial Relations, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel 

HRD Australia recently reported that the success rate of Australian employers in unfair dismissal cases has dropped below 40% for the first time – while these remain the claim of choice for employees, with an unfair dismissal claim lodged every three and a half minutes in Australia.1

We expect hot topics for workplaces will include managing poor performance and bullying and stress claims, avoiding award or NES breach claims (and the risk of huge new penalties) or discrimination claims.

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External advisers and HR managers accessorily liable for breaches of the Fair Work Act as penalties for breaches intensify on small businesses

Posted by | HR Advice & Support, Industrial Relations, Performance Management & Misconduct Investigations | No Comments

By MDC Legal

In a recent decision of the Federal Circuit Court an external accountant who advised a business on its employee arrangements was held liable under the accessorial provisions of the Fair Work Act. This decision is a red flag to external advisors who are closely involved with HR, payroll and employee entitlements of employer businesses.

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