Australia: key labor law changes in 2014

2014 will be the year of numerous amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009, a law that is at the heart of labor relations in Australia.  The development of the fight against harassment will be the primary novelty, with employees being consulted in case of changes to working hours.  (Ref.  130819)
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Harassment. The key amendment will affect harassment at work, defined as “repeated, unreasonable behavior directed towards an employee, (…) that creates a risk to health and safety.” Employees who feel like they have been the victims of such actions may press charges with the Commission, which will have 14 days to issue an opinion and order the employer to stop. Employers may be exposed to a fine that can go up to AUD 51,000 (€33,169) for businesses and AUD 10,200 (€6,634) for individuals. D

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