Oil and gas giant Santos has settled a class action brought by a group of Indigenous Australians who claim they were misled about their entitlement to receive certain travel allowances while working as casual cultural heritage monitors for the company.
As the number of cases of coronavirus continues to rise and more people work from home, lawyers are predicting a jump in workers’ compensation claims, with 57 claims or notifications already lodged in NSW.
A judge has criticised as “meretricious” and “ridiculous” opposition by Commonwealth Bank of Australia to a discovery application by a former general manager who claims he lost his job for blowing the whistle on alleged manipulation of staff bonuses.
With new lockdown measures being rolled out on a daily basis to combat COVID-19, vast numbers of Australians have found themselves working from home, many for the first time. As employers and staff scramble to set up makeshift home offices and navigate the world of video conferencing, lawyers are reminding their clients not to forget the legal risks that come with remote working.
After insisting that employees remain working in the office despite tough government restrictions to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, HWL Ebsworth has changed its tune, saying any lawyer wishing to work remotely could now do so, and would be paid as usual.
The CFMEU said Thursday that a Melbourne construction worker had tested positive for coronavirus, but maintained its position that construction sites should be deemed an ‘essential service’ and be allowed to remain open during the pandemic.
BHP has successfully appealed a Fair Work Commission decision that found the mining giant had unfairly dismissed a worker after she placed a sex toy in a co-worker’s baggage at airport security and posed for a revealing photo at work.
HWL Ebsworth is keeping its offices open and requiring lawyers and staff to work at their desks despite updated government health advice, a decision that exposes the law firm to potential liability for workplace health and safety breaches, an employment expert says.
A former Russells restructuring and insolvency lawyer has resolved a lawsuit alleging the firm tried to manufacture a reason to terminate his unemployment.
HWL Ebsworth is on the hook for the legal costs of an unfair dismissal case won by ex-partner Tim Griffiths, and the law firm must pay almost two years of legal bills on an indemnity basis after it twice refused an offer of settlement.