INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Penalty rates plan for small business

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 2 : 10-Jul-17

A report from the Institute of Public Affairs argues that the reduction in Sunday penalty rates will make small businesses more competitive against larger rivals. The report proposes changes to the industrial relations system to allow employers and workers to negotiate their own penalty rates independently of the Fair Work Commission. The IPA also suggests that new businesses could adapt existing enterprise bargaining agreements rather than having to negotiate their own workplace deals.

CORPORATES
INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Spitting chips: workers accuse potato giant of ‘wage theft’

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Original article by Anna Patty
The Age – Page: 4 : 6-Jul-17

The National Union of Workers has warned that extending the industrial award for farm workers to people who work in packing and storage sheds could result in wage cuts of up to eight per cent. Potato grower Mitolo Group has applied to the Fair Work Commission to have the scope of the Horticulture Award broadened to include non-farm gate workers, but the NUW argues that such staff should be covered by the Storage Services Award.

CORPORATES
MITOLO GROUP PTY LTD, NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Alarm over ruling on casual staff

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Jul-17

The Australian Retailers Association has warned that smaller retailers in particular will be hard hit by a ruling that some casual employees will be entitled to become permanent staff after 12 months’ employment. The Fair Work Commission’s ruling applies to casual employees who are covered by 85 industrial awards, although the FWC rejected the ACTU’s push for casual employees to be given working shifts of at least four hours. The FWC will allow employers to refuse to convert casual staff to permanent employees if they have reasonable grounds to do so.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Coles ends bargaining over weekend rates

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 5-Jul-17

Grocery retailer Coles has opened negotiations with unions for a new two-year enterprise bargaining agreement. Coles has indicated that the new EBA will be based on the minimum employment conditions in the relevant industrial award. The Fair Work Commission terminated the existing EBA in 2016, as it included lower weekend penalty rates in return for higher base pay rates. Coles has advised that all employees will be paid at least the award rate at all times under the new EBA.

CORPORATES
COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, THE AUSTRALASIAN MEAT INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES’ UNION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS’ UNION, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED

Boral risks ban after ‘no’ code vote

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 29-Jun-17

Two-thirds of De Martin & Gasparini (DMG) employees have rejected a new enterprise bargaining agreement for the Boral subsidiary. The EBA has been revised to ensure compliance with the Federal Government’s new building code, and it removes a number of provisions that would not comply with the code. Companies with non-compliant codes may be ineligible to tender for federally-funded construction projects, and the outcome of the secret ballot at DMG may have implications for the broader Boral business.

CORPORATES
BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Do you want a rise with that

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Original article by Lanai Scarr
The Advertiser – Page: 25 : 29-Jun-17

Modelling by the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry shows that the take-home pay of most workers in sectors such as retailing and hospitality will increase from 1 July, when Sunday penalty rates are reduced. The lower penalty rates – to be progressively phased in over three years – will be offset by a 3.3 per cent increase in the award wage rate, which also takes effect on 1 July. ACCI CEO James Pearson has urged unions to end their "deliberate" campaign of misinformation.

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

Rogue unionists could be banned

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 22-Jun-17

The Australian Government will seek to ban officials of registered organisations such as unions from holding office if they repeatedly break the law. The proposed legislative reforms will also enable courts to deregister organisations that have become "dysfunctional". The move follows comments by Construction, Forestry Mining & Energy Union official John Setka about targeting Australian Building & Construction Commission inspectors in their private lives. His comments have been condemned by the Opposition.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Union leaders praise McManus, urge workers to break laws

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 21-Jun-17

The militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union organised stop-work rallies for building workers across Australia on 20 June 2017. The CFMEU’s Victorian secretary John Setka told a 20,000-strong audience in Melbourne that the union will actively target Australian Building & Construction Commission inspectors in their private lives. In Sydney, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union’s New South Wales secretary Tim Ayres backed calls by ACTU secretary Sally McManus to ignore laws that are unjust.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD

Shoppies’ union faces scrutiny over wages scandal

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Original article by Ben Schneiders, Royce Millar
The Age – Page: 6 : 20-Jun-17

A Senate inquiry will investigate enterprise agreements between large retailers and the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees Association which include penalty rates that are lower than the industry award "safety net". The Federal Government, the Australian Labor Party and the Greens have supported the motion by independent senator Nick Xenophon. Meanwhile, Retail & Fast Food Workers Union secretary Josh Cullinan has called for swift action to implement amendments to the Fair Work Act proposed by Greens MP Adam Bandt that are aimed at protecting employees from similar wage deals.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Construction watchdog ‘is misleading bosses’

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 19-Jun-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union may take legal action against the Australian Building & Construction Commission over alleged misinformation on its website. Dave Noonan, the national secretary of the CFMEU’s construction division, claims that the alleged inaccuracies on the ABCC’s website cover issues such as the rights of union officials to enter worksites and the investigations of alleged breaches of workplace laws.

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