INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Steep fine for 7-Eleven boss over pay rort

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Original article by Sarah Danckert
The Age – Page: 11 : 25-Jul-17

A former Brisbane-based 7-Eleven franchisee has been fined $A168,000 by the Federal Court, following an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman into wage underpayment. Jim Chien-Ching Chang was found to have underpaid eight employees by almost $A20,000, with one employee found to have been underpaid by almost $A14,000. The court heard that Chang had admitted to paying staff as little as $A13 an hour at all times of the day.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, JS TOP PTY LTD

Union claims not practical

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Original article by Estha Van Der Linden
The Advertiser – Page: 26 : 25-Jul-17

The Fair Work Commission has rejected claims by the union movement for paid leave for family and domestic violence, after some months of consideration. It has also rejected applications for changes to part-time and casual employment; both measures would have served as a deterrent to employment. The FWC is now considering an application to have paid leave for giving blood to be inserted in some awards, despite blood donation being a strictly voluntary act and something that employees can do in their own time.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, BUSINESS SA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

ALP left seeks to lift taxes, boost the ‘right to strike’

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 20-Jul-17

Industrial relations and taxation will be on the agenda of the Australian Labor Party’s national conference in late July. The left faction of New South Wales Labor will push for the party to endorse a range of workplace reforms, including the right to strike, secondary boycotts and pattern bargaining. Other policies to be advocated by the left faction include the introduction of a universal basic wage­, an increased tax rate for high income earners and a national­ inheritance tax.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION

Union bid to penalise builders for IR deals

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-Jul-17

The Electrical Trades Union is seeking a trade-off with employers to ensure that their enterprise bargaining agreements comply with the Australian Government’s building code. Amongst other things, the ETU wants workers to receive double-time pay rates for working on a scheduled rostered day off and to receive a day in lieu. Existing EBAs provide for a day in lieu and standard pay rates for working on RDOs. EBAs will have to comply with the building code from September for companies to be eligible for federally-funded construction projects.

CORPORATES
ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, JOHN HOLLAND PTY LTD

A union merger that will cost us all

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Original article by
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 38 : 14-Jul-17

The proposed merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and two smaller unions will strengthen the union movement’s influence on the Australian economy. An enlarged CFMEU would have unprecedented control over the supply chain from "pit to port" across the nation’s resources sector. While the merger will be welcomed by the Australian Labor Party, a merger in the corporate sector that would result in a similar monopoly over labour supply would attract scrutiny from the competition regulator. Editorial.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CHEVRON CORPORATION

Militant super union a step closer

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-Jul-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has submitted a formal application to merge with two smaller unions. It wants the Maritime Union of Australia and the Textile, Clothing & Footwear Union to be exempt from a ballot, given their much smaller membership bases. Meanwhile, the Australian Mines & Metals Association has expressed concern about the potential impact of the proposed mega-union on the supply chain across the resources and energy sector. It will lobby the Federal Government to introduce laws requiring union mergers to satisfy a public interest test.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CHEVRON CORPORATION, GORGON PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Enterprise bargaining looks irrelevant

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 12-Jul-17

There is a growing shift away from enterprise bargaining in Australia, as the system has generally failed to meet expectations in the last two decades or so. The industrial awards system still dominates many workplaces, and even large companies such as Coles intend to base new enterprise agreements on the minimum award conditions. Meanwhile, unions often use enterprise agreements to secure additional concessions for their members rather than to increase workplace productivity and flexibility.

CORPORATES
COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MURDOCH UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

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