LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Unions go to war over labour hire

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Jan-19

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union is seeking a 10 per cent pay rise for labour-hire workers at a New South Wales coal mine. The workers at Wongawilli Colliery, who are paid significantly less than workers at other mines in the region, will commence a seven-day strike. CAS Mine Services has warned that the proposed pay rise is not financially viable. The CFMMEU’s national president Tony Maher says the poor treatment of labour-hire workers will be a key issue at the upcoming federal election.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CAS MINE SERVICES PTY LTD, WOLLONGONG COAL LIMITED – ASX WLC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor slams attack on union super

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Original article by John Kehoe, Joanna Mather, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Jan-19

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has criticised the Productivity Commission’s proposed changes to the default superannuation fund regime. He says restricting the default fund to a list of the 10-best performing funds is problematic, as returns can vary significantly over a period of time. The PC’s key recommendation is opposed by labour unions, while the Financial Services Council and the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia have also expressed reservations. However, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the proposal has merit and is worth considering.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, THE ASSOCIATION OF SUPERANNUATION FUNDS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION CUSTODIANS, SUPERANNUATION CONSUMERS’ CENTRE, BT FINANCIAL GROUP PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Unionist gets no joy over sacking

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 9-Jan-19

The full Federal Court has dismissed an application by former union organiser Nick Belan for a judicial review of the Fair Work Commission’s decision in his unfair dismissal case. The FWC had ruled in 2017 that the National Union of Workers had been justified in sacking Belan after he admitted to the trade union royal commission that he had used a union-issued credit card for personal expenses. Belan had contended that the transcript of his evidence before the royal commission was inadmissible in the FWC case.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION

Woolies wins on penalty rates deal

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 8-Jan-19

The Fair Work Commission has approved a new four-year enterprise agreement for more than 100,000 employees of supermarkets group Woolworths. Amongst other things, the new pay deal will reinstate full penalty rates and increase casual loadings to 25 per cent. The deal has been welcomed by the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association, although the rival Retail & Fast Food Workers Union had opposed some aspects of the new agreement.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION INCORPORATED, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Calls for Setka to be kicked out of ALP

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Jan-19

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union official John Setka will appear on court on 9 January after police were called to his home on 26 December. Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer says the police charges mean that Setka should be expelled from the Australian Labor Party and step down from his role at the CFMMEU. Setka in turn has asked the media to respect his family’s privacy following the domestic incident.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT

Greens’ Basin bill bad for climate

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Original article by Richard Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 4-Jan-19

The Mineral Council of Australia has warned that a proposed ban on thermal coal production in Queensland’s Galilee Basin would force Asian countries to buy lower-quality coal from developing countries. The MCA argues that this could in turn result in higher global carbon emissions. In addition, it has questioned the constitutional validity of such a ban. The Australian Greens’ bill to ban thermal coal production in the Galilee Basin is also opposed by the Queensland division of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND RESOURCES COUNCIL LIMITED, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

$400m bill for training

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Original article by Rob Harris, Anthony Galloway
Herald Sun – Page: 12 : 14-Dec-18

The federal government has criticised a push for union members to receive paid leave to attend training programs. The resolution will be put to Labor’s upcoming national conference, but the government has warned that it would cost the national economy about $1.3 billion a year and the Victorian economy $358.3 million a year if it applied to all members of a union. However, Labor has stressed that the policy would apply only to elected union delegates. Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor argues that union delegates are already permitted to take training leave during working hours at the majority of unionised workplaces.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION

Unions test Labor with airline fight

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Dec-18

Labor will seek support for industry-wide enterprise bargaining for low-paid workers at its upcoming national conference. However, the Transport Workers’ Union will push for the policy on industry-wide bargaining to be broadened to include the aviation sector. Leaders of rival unions do not believe that there is much support within Labor’s senior ranks for such a move, while Qantas CEO Alan Joyce recently warned of the impact that doing so would have on both the airline’s supply chain and the broader economy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

Barnaby backs unions on casuals

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Dec-18

A parliamentary committee has expressed concern about the growing use of casual labour in Australia’s mining industry. The committee has supported the union movement’s proposal to allow casual mining workers to become permanent employees after a certain period of employment. Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer says the federal government will consider the committee’s recommendations. Australian Mines & Metals Association CEO Steve Knott argues that many employees prefer the increased flexibility and higher wages offered by casual work.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU

Fewer workers are joining unions

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 30-Nov-18

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the number of workers who are union members has fallen by 11,700 overall since 2016. A total of 1.5 million Australians were union members in August 2018, comprising 1.133 million full-time workers and 402,000 part-time employees. However, union membership as a proportion of the workforce has fallen from 15.3 per cent in 2016 to 14.6 per cent. The education and training sector has the highest proportion of union membership.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS