Articles by Elias Visontay

Politics

Employers rostering staff over Xmas holidays put on notice

BHP knocked back requests from workers who wanted to spend Christmas with their families for various reasons. One wanted to spend the holiday with his ill mother, after his father had died earlier that year. The family was religious and traditionally attended church together. He was made to work regardless, and his mother died a short time later. “He continues to feel guilt and a deep sadness” and has begun drinking to help come to terms with the situation, evidence provided in court said. ‘This decision means employers cannot simply expect employees to work on a public holiday or treat that as a part of an ordinary working pattern.’Lawyer Clancy King Other workers included a single mother, who had to leave her 11- and 15-year-old daughters on Christmas Day and in a desperate move was forced to pay someone from her girls’ drama class $500 to look after them. Other workers described emotional scenes when they had to leave their spouses and kids to work on the holiday. The national employment standards, under which the Mining and Energy Union’s case against BHP was made, apply to all workers regardless of collective agreements, except for some state and government employees.

Technology

The Wiggles company admits it likely breached the law with headband

On Tuesday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) – which had been investigating the company – issued a statement saying that The Wiggles Holdings (the group’s company) had provided it with a court-enforceable undertaking admitting to likely breaching the law in selling the headbands. The company sold the Emma Bow headband between November 2015 and March 2024, but its alleged breach of consumer law only occurred from June 2022, when button battery information standards came into force. All headbands sold since 2015 were recalled in August 2024. The Wiggles company has now vowed to implement a compliance program. This includes committing to produce an episode of its Wiggle Talk – A Podcast For Parents within the next six months to help raise awareness of the safety issue by discussing the product recall and the potential hazards surrounding button batteries and children’s toys. Toy company CA Australia, which imported and distributed at least 3764 of the non-compliant headbands, has also promised to improve its consumer law compliance.