INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Union living wage an $8bn hit on bosses

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 6-Feb-18

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry estimates that the ACTU’s proposal for a "living wage" would cost between $A5bn and $A8bn a year. The ACCI’s Scott Barklamb warns that fixing a living wage at 60 per cent of the median wage by 2020 would require annual increases in the minimum wage that are double the 3.3 per cent rise announced by the Fair Work Commission in 2017. He adds that the living wage proposal would result in job losses and could threaten the viability of some businesses.

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

Builders facing bans for displaying Eureka flag

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Feb-18

The Australian Building & Construction Commission says construction firms may be ineligible to tender for federal government projects if workers display union slogans or logos on employer-issued clothing and equipment. The revised national construction code, which was released in 2016, includes more strict restrictions on displaying union-related logos and slogans than the 2013 code. Dave Noonan of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union says the ABCC’s "anti-union ideology" has not changed since Stephen McBurney replaced Nigel Hadgkiss as commissioner.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Living-wage bid could be death of businesses

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 2-Feb-18

Scott Barklamb of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry says small businesses in particular would face a big increase in wage costs if a future government adopted the ACTU’s proposal for a "living wage". The Federal Opposition has indicated that it may consider permanently setting the minimum wage at a proportion of the median wage, although it has not specified what this would be. The ACTU’s target for a living wage is 60 per cent of the median wage, and Workplace Minister Craig Laundy says implementing this target would force many businesses to close.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, THE WORLD BAR

Domino’s wage deal voted up

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Feb-18

Some 89 per cent of Domino’s Pizza Enterprises employees who participated in a ballot have voted in favour of a new enterprise agreement. The new pay deal, which is the pizza chain’s first in about five years, includes full penalty rates and casual loading for the first time. The enterprise agreement had the support of the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association, although the Retail & Fast Food Workers Union was against some aspects of the new pay deal.

CORPORATES
DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED

Glencore ends $700pw strike bonus

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 31-Jan-18

Glencore will seek to terminate the enterprise agreement at its Oaky Creek coal mine in Queensland in a bid to end a long-running union dispute. Some 175 union members have been locked out of the site for more than 200 days, but a clause in the enterprise agreement requires them to receive the productivity bonuses that are paid to employees and contractors who have defied the picket line. It is believed that some picketers have been paid up to $A700m per week in productivity bonuses.

CORPORATES
GLENCORE PLC, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Strike action almost extinct

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Original article by Anna Patty
The Age – Page: 1 : 30-Jan-18

A report produced by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work shows that there has been a 97 per cent decline in industrial action since the 1970s. The author of the report, Jim Stanford, says the sharp decline in industrial action has contributed to the low growth in wages over recent years. However, Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO James Pearson argues that a range of other factors affect growth in wages, while ACTU secretary Sally McManus says Stanford’s report highlights the need for industrial relations reform.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, ACTU, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Labor’s Fair Work plan insane

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Jan-18

Australian Mines & Metals Association CEO Steve Knott has criticised the Federal Opposition’s proposal to give Fair Work Commission more power to arbitrate industrial disputes. He argues that the FWC is already dominated by former union officials and Labor supporters, adding that it would be "insanity" to give it more power. Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox says the FWC’s existing powers to intervene are sufficient.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU

Penalty-rate victory for Coles workers

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 24-Jan-18

The Shop Distributive & Allied Employees’ ­Association has negotiated a new enterprise agreement with grocery giant Coles that includes higher penalty rates for staff who work at night and on weekends. The deal includes an annual pay rise for all employees, and a one-off payment to ensure that their take-home pay is not adversely affected by the new wage deal. Coles workers will vote on the proposed enterprise agreement in mid-February. Coles and the SDA have been negotiating a new deal for about 12 months.

CORPORATES
COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

‘Show them your tits’: Fair Work upholds sacking of car manager

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 24-Jan-18

The full bench of the Fair Work Commission has dismissed an appeal by the former business manager of a Queensland car dealership. Phillip Parker had been dismissed by Cricks Volkswagen for sexual harassment after a female employee alleged that he had made inappropriate comments to her. Parker appealed against the original ruling, citing it as an example of "male inequality".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CRICKS VOLKSWAGEN

Court cases could prevent super union

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

Employers’ groups say the Registered Organisations Act should be used to block a merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Maritime Union of Australia. The Act prohibits a merger if either party is the subject of criminal legal proceedings. There are currently more than 40 outstanding cases against the two unions for breaching workplace laws, but the CFMEU and the MUA claim that the Act does not apply as these legal actions are civil rather than criminal. The Australian Mines & Metals Association and Master Builders Australia in turn contend that the legal actions are "quasi-criminal".

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION