LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Labor push on minimum wage will hurt those it’s meant to help

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Original article by Kurt Wallace
The Australian – Page: 14 : 22-Mar-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed to raising the minimum wage to become a "living wage" if Labor wins the 2019 election. The ACTU has stated that a living wage is needed so that no full-time worker is living in poverty, but under its definition of what is poor, someone earning $42,000 a year would be deemed to be living in poverty; many would take issue at this definition. Research based on the annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey suggests that poverty is on the decline, while introducing a living wage will result in less jobs and fewer hours worked.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH

Shorten slaps down union super bosses

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 20-Mar-19

The union movement continues to attract scrutiny for using industry superannuation funds to promote its industrial relations agenda. Labor leader Bill Shorten says the legal requirement of super fund trustees to act in the best interests of members overrides any other allegiances they may have. ACTU president Michele O’Neil recently urged super funds to use their influence as investors to ensure that companies offer secure and well-paid jobs. O’Neil is an alternate director on the board of AustralianSuper, which is partly owned by the ACTU.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, TWUSUPER, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, EQUIPSUPER PTY LTD, SUNSUPER PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Wharfies to strike over pay scheme

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 15-Mar-19

DP World’s container terminal at Fremantle will be affected by work bans and rolling stoppages from 19 March. The indefinite industrial action is likely to be extended to DP World’s other container terminals in Australia in coming weeks unless the dispute is resolved. The Maritime Union of Australia has objected to DP World’s proposal to scrap an income protection scheme. The union is also seeking an annual pay rise of five per cent over three years, but DP World has offered a 2.6 per cent increase.

CORPORATES
DP WORLD AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Trump’s battlers enjoy rapid pay rises

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 15-Mar-19

Goldman Sachs estimates that growth in wages across the US economy is currently around 3.4 per cent, and 4.4 per cent in sectors with low wages. The investment bank’s research also shows that wages for workers in the bottom 50 per cent of the US wage distribution is rising by around four per cent a year, compared with about two per cent for those in the top half. The higher growth in low-income wages gained pace from mid-2018, in the wake of the Trump administration’s company tax cuts package. In contrast, the ACTU is advocating a large increase in the minimum wage to address the income gap.

CORPORATES
THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Emissions target will cut wages, ACTU told

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-Mar-19

Unions have criticised Energy Minister Angus Taylor after he warned them of the potential impact of Labor’s greenhouse gas policy on wages. Taylor has written to unions claiming that wages could be reduced by $9,000 under Labor’s proposed 45 per cent emissions reduction target. The Electrical Trades Union has accused Taylor of "rank political opportunism" in targeting its members shortly before a federal election. Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says taxpayers’ funds should not be used to build new coal-fired power stations. He says this would result in less funding for infrastructure such as roads.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, GETUP LIMITED, BAECONOMICS PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Call to freeze wages for low-paid

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 14-Mar-19

Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Juliana Payne has warned that the ACTU’s push to increase the minimum wage to 60 per cent of median earnings will result in job cuts. She says there should be no increase in the minimum wage in 2019 due to the above-inflation increases of recent years, and notes that the sector cannot pass on the cost of wage rises to customers. Meanwhile, the Australian Retailers ­Association supports a 1.8 per cent increase in the minimum wage, although a survey has found that about 50 per cent of its members favour leaving it unchanged in 2019.

CORPORATES
RESTAURANT AND CATERING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

ACTU wants living wage in two years

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Mar-19

The ACTU will seek a six per cent increase in the minimum wage in 2019, followed by a 5.5 per cent rise in 2020. This equates to an increase of about $72.80 a week over two years, to almost $42,000 a year. ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the current minimum wage condemns many people to living below the poverty line. The Fair Work Commission rejected the ACTU’s push for a 7.2 per cent rise in the minimum wage in 2018, warning that such a large increase would result in many low-income workers losing their jobs or having their hours of work reduced.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Labor, ACTU hose down wage fears

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 8-Mar-19

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has committed to ensuring that the minimum wage is increased to become a living wage if Labor wins the federal election. Shorten and ACTU secretary Sally McManus have both expressed support for the Fair Work Commission continuing to have responsibility for setting a living wage, as well as the timeframe for transitioning from the minimum wage. Prime Minister Scott Morrison contends that economic growth rather than increased taxes is the best way to lift wages.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Shorten talks up living wage bid

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Mar-19

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO James Pearson has warned that a significant increase in minimum wage would result in job losses, a reduction in hours of work for many people and business failures. He was responding to comments by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who has told a business summit that the minimum wage is too low and is no longer a living wage. ACTU secretary Sally McManus has again reiterated the need for a living wage.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Treasurer’s super war on activists

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 4-Mar-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg wants to ensure that union-appointed trustees of industry superannuation funds do not seek to pursue political objectives at the expense of members’ interests. Industry funds currently manage $631 billion worth of assets, with this figure tipped to increase to over $1 trillion by 2024; boards of industry funds are equally represented by trustees from employers and unions. Frydenberg’s concerns have been sparked by union calls for funds to pressure BHP and BlueScope Steel to reverse a decision not to renew a contract for Australian-crewed ships that carry iron ore.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, ACTU, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, UNITED VOICE, AUSTRALIAN SERVICES UNION