The Fair Work Commission is the national workplace relations tribunal. They help resolve workplace disputes and set minimum pay and conditions.

New ‘Learning, tools and resources’ subscriber service

They have launched a new, free email subscription service called ‘Learning, tools and resources’.

Subscribers to the new service will receive occasional emails containing practical, plain language information about employment matters we deal with at the Commission.

• Subscribe to Fair Work Commission — Learning, tools and resources email updates

They will send you information on a range of topics including:

• bullying and sexual harassment at work
• unfair dismissal
• discrimination (general protections)
• workplace disputes including about flexible work and parental leave.

As a tribunal, the Commission is unable to provide legal advice. They encourage you to make use of their free materials to support your work.

Do you know about ‘zombie agreements’?

They have new resources to help people find out if they may be affected by the sunsetting of ‘zombie agreements’ on 7 December 2023.

If a ‘zombie agreement’ sunsets, the legal minimum pay and conditions for employees that were covered by that agreement they are very likely to change.

• Interactive tool: Sunsetting of ‘zombie agreements’
• Fact sheet: Sunsetting of ‘zombie agreements’ (PDF)

What is a zombie agreement? — On 7 December 2023, certain agreements made before 2010 that are still in operation (‘zombie agreements’) will automatically terminate (‘sunset’) unless an application is made to the Fair Work Commission before 7 December 2023 to extend their operation.

The Journal of Industrial Relations (JIR) has initiated an Indigenous Early Career Researcher Editorial Traineeship.

The initiative reflects JIR’s commitment to advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Indigenous scholarship and scholars in the field of industrial relations.

It forms part of the journal’s vision of contributing to high quality academic scholarship, policy debates and professional practice in industrial relations.

The JIR publishes papers on past, present and future issues relating to employment, work organisation and labour regulation, and theoretical understandings of contemporary issues in Australia and internationally. See: https://journals.sagepub.com/aims-scope/JIR.

The field of Industrial Relations is broad, drawing its strength from multidisciplinary analyses of the changing nature of the world of work and employment.

Industrial relations scholarship examines the employment relationship and the actors within that relationship – working people, employers, employment institutions (trade unions & employer organisations), civil society organisations and the state.

Attention focuses on the implications, consequences and relevance of the nature and function of the key institutions and processes that shape the labour-capital relationship more generally.

JIR recognises that Indigenous knowledges are an essential part of research, and that Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing underpin the respect, reciprocity and responsibility that are the basis of any research conducted by and with Indigenous peoples.

JIR editorial traineeships for Indigenous early career researchers will initially be offered to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons. In the future, JIR will extend the initiative to Māori and Pacific Islander persons. Each traineeship will be for a two-year period.

Trainees will be involved in:

• A buddy and mentoring scheme

• Attending and participating in quarterly editorial team meetings with Editors-in-Chief, Deputy Editors and Associate Editors

• Involvement in peer reviewing two journal articles per year with mentoring support

• Independent reviewing with guidance in year two

• Contributing to the JIR Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity (EDII) subcommittee

• Contributing to the JIR Social Media Strategy subcommittee.

Traineeships offer participants:

• Support and mentoring from the editorial team

• Shadowing of editorial team in the peer review process

• Learning new skills

• Expanding academic networks

• Formal journal recognition

• Training and development to enhance career development

• Exposure to the latest research in the field

• Gaining foundational knowledge relating to research integrity / ethical norms.

Invitation to Submit an Expression of Interest

We invite applicants who have completed a PhD in the preceding eight years (not including career interruptions) or who are in the final year of PhD completion to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).

Applicants will have at least 2 publications broadly relevant to the multidisciplinary field of Industrial Relations. This may include peer-reviewed publications, as well as book chapters, industry reports, policy submissions, op-eds, articles in the Conversation and others.

Applicants are asked to briefly respond to the following prompts:

1. Please tell us about your research interests and how they do, or may, intersect with industrial relations research.

2. Please tell us why you are interested in participating in the Traineeship.

3. How might the Traineeship benefit your career development and research?

All prospective candidates are welcome to reach out with any questions they might have about the program or the journal.

For questions or more information about the JIR Indigenous Editorial Traineeship Program, please contact:

• Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer
s.leroydyer@uq.edu.au

• Associate Professor Tyron Love
tyron.love@canterbury.ac.nz

For questions or queries about the Journal of Industrial Relations, please contact:

• Amanda Pyman and Lucy Taksa, Editors-In-Chief, at jir@deakin.edu.au.

Please submit your application, along with a one-page CV including your publications, to jir@deakin.edu.au.

This is an open call for applications and positions will remain open until filled.

EOIs will be assessed by the JIR Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity (EDII) subcommittee.

We invite scholars to distribute this call widely through their professional associations and networks.

ALERA Members; Neroli Ellis (ALERA President), Julian Teicher (IRSV), Greg Bamber (IRSV), Chris Mealin (IRSV), and the JIR Editorial Team;   Lucy Taska, Amanda Pyman, Amanda Cole, Karen Douglas together with guest speakers Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer and Mark Rose.

ALERA is pleased to share the latest news on the appointment of new Members to the Fair Work Commission. The Australian Government has appointed five new Members to the Commission, and the promotion of an existing Member to the role of    Vice President . These appointments will help ensure the Commission can continue to deliver fair and effective workplace relations outcomes for Australian workers and businesses.

Congratulations to the new appointees, who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to their roles and strive to create a more productive and inclusive workplace for all Australians.

Read more about these appointments in the media release from Tony Burke MP.

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, has addressed the National Press Club of Australia to set out the Government’s agenda for the year ahead. The Minister has confirmed a number of workplace relations reforms aimed at delivering on election commitments and closing loopholes including:

• Guarantee superannuation under the National Employment Standards;
• Confirm that workplace protections apply to temporary migrant workers;
• Extend paid parental leave;
• Same job, same pay;
• Definition of casual employment;
• Regulation of employee-like work and the gig economy;
• Wage theft;
• Safety principles and minimum standards for long-haul drivers,
• Empowering the Fair Work Commission to deal with unfair contract disputes for independent contractors; and
• Stronger protections against discrimination.

The Minister’s full speech is available here: Address to National Press Club of Australia.