COLLECTIVE LABOR AGREEMENTS – AUSTRALIA

Do not resuscitate: enterprise bargaining deserves a burial

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Judith Sloan
The Australian – Page: 12 : 6-Feb-18

The enterprise bargaining system is largely defunct in Australia, with the exception of the public sector and a few private companies. The proportion of employees covered by enterprise agreements has been declining since it peaked in 2010, while the proportion of workers covered by industry awards has risen from 15 per cent to around 25 per cent since then. The Federal Government should pursue reforms such as ensuring that enterprise agreements are no longer allowed to continue beyond their expiry date, because it is almost certain that Labor will seek to revive enterprise bargaining if it wins the next election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED

Shorten war on business

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 31-Jan-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed to establishing a national anti-corruption commission if Labor wins the next federal election. He has also signalled plans to either increase the minimum wage or replace it with a so-called "living wage". Meanwhile, business groups have expressed concern over Shorten’s proposal to rebalance enterprise bargaining laws in favour of workers. Private health insurance companies will also be targeted by Shorten, while he has ruled out supporting the Federal Government’s company tax cuts package.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Win for employers over casuals

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 23-Jan-18

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union has failed to have a Fair Work Commission ruling on casual workers overturned on appeal. The AMWU had contended that two labour-hire employees who had worked for Visy continuously for three months were entitled to become permanent employees under a clause in the packaging group’s enterprise agreement. The full bench of the FWC upheld the ruling that the clause was not a "permitted matter" under the Fair Work Act. ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the ruling highlights the need for changes to workplace laws.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, VISY INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Wage growth slumps to a record 25-year low

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Jan-18

Wage increases for new enterprise agreements struck in the September 2017 quarter were just 2.2 per cent, the lowest increase in 25 years. The number of new agreements struck in the quarter was the lowest since 1995, while wage increases in union enterprise agreements were lower than those in non-union agreements, which is uncommon. The construction sector remained the industry where wage growth was strongest, while real estate and transport were among the sectors where wage growth was lowest.

CORPORATES
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

ACTU seeks change to lockout rules

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 9-Jan-18

Australia’s peak union body will push for changes to provisions of the Fair Work Act regarding the right of employers to lock out workers in the wake of an industrial dispute at the Port Kembla coal terminal. ACTU secretary Ged Kearney says the dispute demonstrates that the industrial relations system is "broken" and gives employers too much power. The Port Kembla terminal has imposed a five-day lockout in an ongoing dispute with the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union over enterprise agreement negotiations.

CORPORATES
ACTU, PORT KEMBLA COAL TERMINAL, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, GLENCORE PLC, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32

Federal Court targets sham EBAs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 14-Nov-17

One Key Resources’ enterprise bargaining agreement has been deemed to be invalid in a landmark ruling of the Federal Court. The labour hire firm supplies workers for black coal mining companies such as BHP Billiton and Glencore. Just three employees voted on its proposed EBA, which included pay rates that were only $A1 per week higher than the minimum rate in the industry award and which was subsequently approved by the Fair Work Commission in 2015. One Key Resources then ramped up its workforce and boasted more than 1,100 casual employees by early 2017.

CORPORATES
ONE KEY RESOURCES PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, GLENCORE PLC, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Labor vows crackdown on sham collective wage deals

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Anna Patty
The Age – Page: 20 : 20-Oct-17

Shadow employment minister Brendan O’Connor says the Australian Labor Party will take action to prohibit the use of "no-stake" enterprise agreements if it wins the next federal election. Labor will target companies that get a small number of employees to vote in favour of an enterprise agreement and then apply it to their general workforce, including those at other work sites. Mr O’Connor says Labor will also pursue reforms to allow employees and unions to renegotiate sham enteprise agreements via the Fair Work Commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR ADVISORY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU, CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERIES

Labor vows to end pay-slashing ‘sham’ deals

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 18-Oct-17

Labor intends to change the Fair Work Act if it wins the next federal election, to prevent what it refers to as "sham" enterprise agreements being used by companies. The Opposition’s workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor says Labor wants to do away with the sort of agreements that led to the recent dispute at Carlton & United Breweries in Melbourne, namely agreements that are voted on by workers that are not actually impacted by the pay and conditions that come under the agreement.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERIES, ESSO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

High-stakes hearing looms for Domino’s

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Adele Ferguson
The Age – Page: 21 : 11-Oct-17

A Fair Work Commission hearing is scheduled for 1 November on an application to terminate existing enterprise agreements for Domino’s Pizza Enterprises staff. The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association applied to terminate an enterprise agreement in July, although it is continuing to hold negotiations with the fast-food group. The Retail & Fast Food Workers Union is also seeking to have a Domino’s enterprise agreement terminated. Domino’s is also being investigated over allegations of wage fraud.

CORPORATES
DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Enterprise deals unworkable, bosses warn

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 20-Sep-17

Australian Industry Group CEO lnnes Willox has called for changes to the way the "better-off-overall test" is applied in approving enterprise bargaining agreements. He argues that applying the test equally to all workers at a company has become unworkable in the wake of the Fair Work Commission’s decision to strike down an EBA at Coles in 2016. Willox favours a recommendation of the Productivity Commission that the test be applied to different classes of employees.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT