LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

FWC queries unions’ living wage

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 16-May-19

The Fair Work Commission heard the final day of evidence in its review of the minimum wage on 15 May. The ACTU wants the minimum wage to be increased to 60 per cent of median earnings over two years, in order to lift all workers out of poverty. FWC President Iain Ross warned that doing so could result in pay increases for all workers on the minimum wage, rather than just those living below the poverty line. He also said the tax and transfer system could be a more efficient way to address the issue of poverty than an increase in the minimum wage. The FWC’s decision on the minimum wage is expected to be announced by the end of May.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ACTU leader to channel Hawke in Fair Work wage pitch

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 14-May-19

Michele O’Neil will become the first ACTU president since Bob Hawke to personally present the union movement’s case for a rise in the minimum wage. O’Neill will appear before the Fair Work Commission’s wage review panel on 15 May; the ACTU is seeking a six per cent increase in the minimum wage, followed by a 5.5 per cent rise in 2020. Meanwhile, Labor has advised the FWC that it will withdraw its current submission to the wage review if it wins the federal election, and will make a new one that will call for a "real wage increase to award rates".

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

ABCC targets building union leadership

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 10-May-19

The Australian Building & Construction Commission will allege that the construction industry union breached workplace laws in trying to force Botany Cranes to sign an enterprise agreement. The ABCC has launched legal action against four Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union officials, including New South Wales secretary Darren Greenfield. Amongst other things, they are alleged to have threatened to damage the company’s equipment and stage a secondary boycott if it did not sign the agreement.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, BOTANY CRANES, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BOOM LOGISTICS LIMITED – ASX BOL, WGG CRANE GROUP

Labor weighs boosting union powers

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 7-May-19

Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor has indicated that unions’ right to entry laws could be relaxed if Labor wins the federal election. The reforms could include recommendations made in the Boland review of workplace safety laws; amongst other things, the review proposed waiving the need for a union official to have a workplace entry permit if the visit is related to industrial safety. This would benefit the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union; some of its officials have been denied entry permits under the Fair Work Act’s ‘fit and proper person’ test.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS PTY LTD, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA

Labor two-faced on coal

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Original article by Mark Ludlow, Luke Housego
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 1-May-19

The Queensland Government’s stance on Adani’s proposed Carmichael thermal coal mine is under scrutiny after it approved an expansion of Yancoal’s Cameby Downs mine, as well as several metallurgical coal mines. The government has been accused of double standards by Steve Smyth, the state president of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union. Adani CEO Lucas Dow in turn has accused the state government of hypocrisy for taking out newspaper advertisements promoting its support for resources projects while continuing to stall on approving the Carmichael mine.

CORPORATES
ADANI MINING PTY LTD, YANCOAL AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX YAL, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, PEMBROKE RESOURCES PTY LTD, MACKAY CONVEYOR EQUIPMENT, QUEENSLAND RESOURCES COUNCIL LIMITED, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

CFMEU pushing closed shop ahead of possible Labor win

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 23-Apr-19

The New South Wales branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has declined to comment on claims that it has adopted a ‘no ticket, no start’ policy at construction sites in Sydney. The Master Builders Association has raised concerns about the practice, with executive director Brian Seidler fearing that the push for compulsory union membership on building sites will spread to other states. The federal government’s building code – which Labor wants to abolish – prohibits ‘no ticket, no start’ arrangements.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Room for unions to work with super funds: Combet

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 18-Apr-19

Industry Super Australia chairman Greg Combet says he has no concerns with union officials raising industrial relations issues with trustees of superannuation funds. However, he stresses that trustees must be mindful of their duty to act in the best interest of fund members when considering such issues. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority recent advised that trustees must not be influenced by "sponsoring organisations" in carrying out their duties. Combet has previously been ACTU secretary and a Labor minister.

CORPORATES
INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, GLENCORE PLC

Workers join the barricades for ALP

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 12-Apr-19

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has described the federal election as an opportunity to "restore fairness" for working people, arguing that the Coalition’s legacies include record low wages growth, record levels of inequality and lack of job security. The ACTU intends to campaign in 28 seats during the election, while unions will target 17 seats in a national door-knocking campaign on the weekend of 13-14 April. Meanwhile, political activist GetUp will target 30 seats during the election, including those held by Peter Dutton, Greg Hunt and Tony Abbott.

CORPORATES
ACTU, GETUP LIMITED, VICTORIAN TRADES HALL COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION

Investigation shows political polling company used by Nine Entertainment newspapers The Age and SMH is co-owned by ACTU & CFMMEU unions

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Original article by Pat McGrath, Jeremy Story Carter, Sarah Curnow
abc.net au – Page: Online : 11-Apr-19

An investigation by the ABC has revealed that the uComms political polling company is co-owned by the ACTU (via ACTU secretary Sally McManus), the CFMMEU (via CFMMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor) and James Stewart, a former executive of ‘robo-polling’ pollster ReachTEL. The three each hold a third of UPoint’s 150 shares (50 shares each) which is listed as the sole shareholder of UComms via a paid ASIC search. In addition, the ABC reporters initially found uComm’s business address listed as the same office building in Melbourne as the ACTU, although this has since changed. The Sydney Morning Herald commissioned polling by uComms in the recent NSW Election and ran the results on the front-page of the ‘The Sun-Herald’ in mid-March headlined ‘Labor leads poll in race to wire’ showing the ALP 51% cf. L-NP 49% on a two-party preferred basis. The Gladys Berejiklian-led L-NP Government was returned to power at the NSW Election winning a majority of 48 out of the 93 seats. When contacted by the ABC reporters group executive director of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, James Chessell, said the paper didn’t know the ownership structure of uComms although Chessell said they would no longer commission polls from uComms going forward.

CORPORATES
UCOMMS, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, REACHTEL PTY LTD

CFMEU charges in three states

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 10-Apr-19

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union is currently the subject of 38 separate court cases launched by the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The militant union has already been fined some $3.29m so far in the 2018-19 financial year. The ABCC’s current cases against the CFMMEU include allegations that it engaged in unlawful industrial action and breached right-of-entry laws at a building site in Victoria. A union official is also alleged to have racially abused a construction site supervisor in Perth. Labor intends to abolish the ABCC if it wins the federal election.

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