LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

New mega union swings Labor to left

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 11-Nov-19

The new United Workers Union will boast more than 150,000 members and a potential membership base of two million. The merger of United Voice and the National Union of Workers will be formally completed on 11 November. The new union will be aligned with Labor’s Left faction, whereas the NUW was aligned with the Right. The new union will have a national body rather than autonomous state branches.

CORPORATES
UNITED WORKERS UNION, UNITED VOICE, NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Pay falls as non-union agreements rise

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 8-Nov-19

Wage increases in new private sector agreements fell from 2.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent in the June quarter, according to data from the Attorney-General’s Department, while public sector agreement pay rises grew from 2.4 per cent to 2.6 per cent. The number of non-union agreements increased by 60 per cent between the March and June quarters, and Centre for Future Work economist Alison Pennington says it is possible that non-union agreements could rise as a proportion of all approved agreements from 22 per cent to 27 per cent by the end of 2019.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED. CENTRE FOR FUTURE WORK

Unions push for jail terms for wage theft

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 29-Oct-19

The ACTU has urged the federal government to introduce harsher penalties for employers who underpay their staff. Its submission to the government’s compliance discussion paper advocates a maximum jail term of five years or a fine of up to $2m for individuals and $10m for a company. The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has in turn expressed concern about imposing criminal penalties for breaches of workplace laws. It has argued that such penalties should also apply to the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Kelty unleashes super spray at Swan

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 25-Oct-19

Former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty referred to Wayne Swan as a "miserable bastard" at the launch of the Crescent Think Tank on 24 October. Kelty’s description of the former Labor treasurer was on account of him only increasing the superannuation guarantee by 0.5 per cent during Labor’s six years in office. Kelty and former Labor prime minister Paul Keating are pushing for the SG to be increased to 12 per cent, although some Liberal MPs and the Grattan Institute have called for it to be paused at 9.5 per cent. Kelty says suggestions that deferring SG increases will cause employers to increase wages are "laughable".

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Setka not going anywhere, says union

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 25-Oct-19

The CFMMEU’s national conference in Adelaide has passed a motion calling on Labor to oppose exploitative free-trade agreements. Dave Noonan, the head of the union’s construction division, has criticised Labor leader Anthony Albanese for agreeing to support ‘sell-out’ free trade deals. He also said the CFMMEU’s Victorian secretary John Setka had the full support of delegates at the national conference and he will not resign. Noonan added that Setka’s resignation from Labor will have no impact, arguing that many of the CFMMEU’s leaders have not been party members.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Setka exit deepens Labor rift

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 24-Oct-19

The federal government’s hopes of passing the Ensuring Integrity Bill have been boosted by John Setka’s refusal to step down as Victorian secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union. Setka’s resignation from the Labor party on 23 October has pre-empted an upcoming meeting of its national executive, which had been expected to expel him from the party. However, independent senator Jacqui Lambie maintains that she will back the legislation unless Setka also resigns from his CFMMEU role. Setka’s resignation has been welcomed by Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who led the push to have him expelled.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor waves through FTAs

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 22-Oct-19

ACTU president Michele O’Neil has criticised Labor’s decision to support legislation to establish free trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru. She says the trade deals breach Labor’s national policy platform. Unions’ concerns about the trade deals include the clauses regarding investor-state dispute settlement and labour market testing. The legislation was passed by the lower house on 21 October after the federal government agreed to a number of concessions. It is expected to be passed by the Senate in November.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Big projects to get strike protection

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 22-Oct-19

Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has urged Labor to support legislation to allow workplace agreements to apply for the entire construction phase of greenfields projects. The move is aimed at preventing unions and workers from disrupting a resources, energy or infrastructure project by seeking improved wages and conditions if an enterprise agreement expires in the middle of the construction phase. The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union’s Dave Noonan contends that it is unfair to lock in terms and conditions that could last for 5-10 years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, SMALL AND FAMILY BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, CHEVRON CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ABC savaged by union for underpaying casual employees

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 25 : 21-Oct-19

The Community & Public Sector Union has told its members that the ABC’s management had been made aware on "multiple occasions" that casual staff were being underpaid. The CPSU’s report notes amongst other things that the public broadcaster had breached the Fair Work Act and its own enterprise agreement by underpaying up to 2,500 casual employees. The ABC’s 2019 annual report notes that it has allocated more than $22m to compensating staff who were underpaid.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION

‘You will pay’: unions threaten Labor over trade

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Oct-19

Labor has attracted criticism from union leaders after the party’s caucus voted to support the federal government’s proposed free-trade agreements with Indonesia, Hong Kong and Peru. Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union national secretary Michael O’Connor says the decision will cause ongoing tensions between sections of the union movement and Labor. Unions’ concerns about the trade deals include the clauses regarding investor-state dispute settlement clauses and labour market testing provisions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION