INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Union claim for casual workers’ upgrade a ‘threat to full-time jobs’

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 2 : 18-Aug-16

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has warned of the economic cost of the ACTU’s push for casual workers to become permanent employees after being in a job for six months. ACCI CEO James Pearson says modelling by Australian National University economists suggests that the proposed reform would cost the economy about $A3.7bn a year and result in the loss of 19,000 full-time equivalent jobs. The Fair Work Commission is likely to rule on the matter later in 2016.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Casual hours to count in redundancy

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Original article by Anna Patty
The Age – Page: 23 : 17-Aug-16

The full bench of the Fair Work Commission has ruled that permanent employees who were initially hired as casual staff should have the latter period of service recognised in a termination payout. The FWC had ruled earlier in 2016 that redundancy payments at engineering and shipbuilding firm Forgacs should be based only on an employee’s period of permanent employment. However, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union has succeeded in having the ruling overturned on appeal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, FORGACS ENGINEERING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, ASC PTY LTD

Major builder faces ban

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 12-Aug-16

The Federal Circuit Court has imposed $A25,575 in penalties on Hutchinson Builders. The court found that the company did not want to award a contract to a business whose enterprise agreement lacked approval from the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. The case is now being considered by Fair Work Building & Construction, and Hutchinson Builders may be subject to other sanctions.

CORPORATES
FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, HUTCHINSON BUILDERS, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Questions over IR judge’s role in CFA row

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 8-Aug-16

The role of Fair Work Commission president Iain Ross in the Victorian Country Fire Authority dispute is under scrutiny. Former CFA board member and farmer Michael Freshwater has questioned whether Ross acted impartially in the dispute over an enterprise bargaining agreement. He has written to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash requesting an independent inquiry. There have been suggestions that despite being a state issue, the CFA dispute may have affected Labor’s chances of winning the federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, EAST GIPPSLAND LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE, EAST GIPPSLAND SHIRE COUNCIL, VICTORIA. DEPT OF JUSTICE AND REGULATION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Hanson’s power bloc holds key in ABCC union battle

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Aug-16

The support of One Nation in the Senate may be crucial to the Coalition’s chances of passing legislation to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The Coalition will have 30 seats in the new Senate, while the Australian Labor Party and the Greens will have 26 and nine respectively. The Coalition will need 39 votes to pass the ABCC bill in the upper house, or 114 in a joint sitting of Parliament. One Nation senator-elect Brian Burston has indicated that he is likely to support the ABCC bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Millions can cash out leave

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Age – Page: 23 : 4-Aug-16

Almost two million Australian employees who are covered by the modern industrial awards system will now have the option of cashing out part of their annual leave entitlement. The Fair Work Commission’s decision to allow cashing out has the support of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, although ACTU secretary Dave Oliver has expressed concern about the potential ramifications of the decision. The FWC is expected to issue a ruling on weekend penalty rates in September 2016.

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

Estate agency paid worker $9 an hour

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Age – Page: 13 : 8-Jul-16

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s office has received a complaint from an employee of a real estate agency in Hawthorn, Victoria, about being underpaid. The worker was paid $A9 an hour, or less than $A375 a week, while the national minimum wage is $A17.70 an hour, or $A672.70 a week. The ombudsman is also investigating a number of other cases of underpayment of wages.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN

United Voice penalty rates push key to marginal swing

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 8 : 7-Jul-16

David McElrea, the assistant secretary of United Voice, says the union movement’s campaign on the issue of penalty rates in 10 marginal was a significant contributor to the large swing to the Australian Labor Party in the federal election. The union-backed campaign included text messages, robocalling and digital advertising, and played on fears that the Coalition would reduce weekend penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors if it is re-elected.

CORPORATES
UNITED VOICE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, REACHTEL PTY LTD

Legal woes mount for CFMEU

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Original article by Ben Butler
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Jul-16

The liquidator of two failed building contractors has alleged that officials and employees of the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union threatened to commit unlawful acts. It has also been alleged that they attempted to induce subcontractors at a Melbourne construction site to break their contracts. The Federal Court recently fined the CFMEU some $A180,000 for its role in an illegal blockade of a construction site.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, PENTRIDGE VILLAGE PTY LTD, WEST HOMES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, CAPITAL FINANCE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, IMPROVED CONCRETE PUMPING SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Patrick bid to end dispute on enterprise agreement

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 24-Jun-16

Stevedoring firm Patrick wants the Fair Work Commission to intervene in a dispute over a new enterprise agreement with the Maritime Union of Australia. Patrick will ask the commission to order the union to respond to the company’s proposal, which was made in April 2016. The union criticised the move but it said it has no plans to put pressure on the company through industrial action before the federal election on 2 July.

CORPORATES
PATRICK CORPORATION LIMITED, ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION