LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Militant to strike tough line for ACTU

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Jul-18

Michele O’Neil has called for changes to Australia’s laws on the right to strike in her first speech as the newly-elected president of the ACTU. She has told the peak union body’s congress that the right to strike is a basic human right that is now highly regulated and restricted. O’Neil also favours changes to workplace laws to allow enterprise bargaining to occur at industry-wide level. O’Neil was the only contender to succeed Ged Kearney. Meanwhile, ACTU secretary Sally McManus has urged the union movement to step up its campaign for industrial relations reform.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

NEG too costly, say big energy users

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Original article by Perry Williams, Joe Kelly, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Jul-18

The ACTU has expressed concern that the federal government’s proposed national energy guarantee will result in higher electricity prices and ensure that large electricity retailers retain their market power. The ACTU has also questioned whether the NEG will have much impact on carbon emissions. Major industrial users of electricity have also warned that the NEG is unlikely to result in lower electricity prices.

CORPORATES
ACTU, DOW CHEMICAL AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BRICKWORKS LIMITED – ASX BKW, RUSAL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, QUEENSLAND ALUMINA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Unionist to face trial over documents claim

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Original article by Jared Owens
The Australian – Page: 2 : 3-Jul-18

Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union official Dave Hanna could face a fine of $A10,000 or up to two years in jail for obstructing the trade unions royal commission. It will be alleged that Hanna ordered the destruction of CFMEU documents at the union’s Brisbane headquarters in April 2014, on the same day that the royal commission advised the union that it was interested in viewing union documents dating as far back as 2007.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BUILDERS’ LABOURERS’ FEDERATION, DISTRICT COURT OF QUEENSLAND

Union bid for three strikes penalties

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 7 : 28-Jun-18

The New South Wales state conference of the Australian Labor Party will be presented with a motion to hold lead contractors on public projects liable for breaches of workplace laws across their supply chain. The motion will be put forward by the Transport Workers’ Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union. They will propose that head contractors have their contracts terminated if three separate breaches of workplace laws are identified. The unions also intend to put the motion to Labor’s national conference.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Bid to sideline CFMEU falls at a legal hurdle

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 27-Jun-18

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has successfully challenged the use of a greenfields enterprise agreement by a CIMIC Group subsidiary. CPB, which was formerly known as Leighton, had struck a pay deal with the Australian Workers’ Union that sidelined the CFMEU. However, the full bench of the Fair Work Commission upheld the CFMEU’s appeal. The union’s Victorian president Ralph Edwards says CPB had attempted to misuse the greenfields provisions of the Fair Work Act to avoid renegotiating an existing enterprise agreement.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CIMIC GROUP LIMITED – ASX CIM, CPB, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Senator wants end to unions’ tax-free status

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 18-Jun-18

Coalition senator Amanda Stoker says unions should no longer be exempt from paying tax, as they have a competitive advantage in business areas where they operate. She adds that about two million workers do not have choice of superannuation fund because they are required to join a union-backed industry fund. Stoker also notes that many workers are also restricted to joining one union, and unions often exploit this monopoly in enterprise bargaining negotiations. Stoker will use her maiden speech in Parliament to advocate reform.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

IR laws a disaster hurting millions

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

The national secretary of United Voice, Jo Schofield, has called for an overhaul of the industrial relations system, arguing that enterprise bargaining at the workplace level has been a failure and industry-level bargaining should be permitted. She will also tell the Evatt Foundation on 18 June that the industry award system has resulted in wages and conditions being capped for nearly 25 per cent of workers. The ACTU recently proposed industry-wide enterprise bargaining, although the Coalition and employers have warned that it would result in job losses and make businesses less competitive.

CORPORATES
UNITED VOICE, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, EVATT FOUNDATION

CFMMEU penalties hit $15m after abuse case

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 15-Jun-18

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been fined $A43,200 over the conduct of organiser Bradley Upton. The Federal Court ruled that Upton had sought to intimidate non-union workers on the Gorgon LNG project into joining the union at a meeting in December 2015. Justice Michael Barker said his conduct was "quite appalling" and fined him $A8,100. Workplace Minister Craig Laundy has warned that such conduct in the workplace will occur frequently under Labor’s proposed union right-of-entry laws.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

ACTU steps up campaign on penalty rates

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Original article by David Crowe
The Age – Page: 4 : 13-Jun-18

Polling undertaken on behalf of the ACTU show that a majority of voters in the marginal federal seats of Forde, Gilmore and Robertson would support a push to overturn the Fair Work Commission’s penalty rate cuts. The ACTU will launch a new campaign ahead of changes to the weekend penalty rates regime that take effect on 1 July and the five by-elections that will be held on 28 July. Employers argue that lower penalty rates allow them to trade on weekends.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GETUP LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, REACHTEL PTY LTD

Union’s Eureka flag victory flies in the face of regulator

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 5-Jun-18

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that displaying union logos or the Eureka flag on construction sites does not breach the building industry code. Commissioner Bernie Riordan ruled that workers would not get the impression that membership of the construction industry union is compulsory. The Australian Building & Construction Commission warned earlier in 2018 that construction firms could face bans if employees displayed the Eureka flag. ACTU secretary Sally McManus has welcomed the FWC’s ruling and called for the ABCC to be abolished.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, ACTU, WATPAC LIMITED – ASX WTP, PROBUILD PTY LTD, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION