LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

CFMEU should be deregistered: judges

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 15-Aug-18

The militant Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been fined more than $500,000 in two separate court rulings. The Federal Court rejected the union’s appeal against a fine of $306,000 imposed in 2017 over the conduct of its former Queensland president David Hanna. Justice John Logan criticised the CFMMEU’s poor track record regarding compliance with workplace laws and likened the union to its deregistered predecessor, the Builders Labourers Federation. The CFMMEU has also been fined $271,500 for breaching right-of-entry laws.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, BUILDERS’ LABOURERS’ FEDERATION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Union push for weekend casual pay rises

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

The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ ­Association will push for casual workers’ loadings to be increased from 10 per cent to 50 per cent on Saturdays. The SDA is also seeking a loading of 25 per cent for staff who work after 6pm on weeknights, in addition to the 25 per cent casual loading at present. The Australian Retailers Association’s executive director Russell Zimmerman argues that many casual workers in the retail sector can only work after 6pm, and they may not be given extra shifts if employment costs increase. The full bench of the Fair Work Commission will hear the wage claim on 16 August.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU

Spotless accused of scam to underpay cleaners

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 7 : 26-Jul-18

United Voice alleges that Spotless Group was part of a conspiracy to cheat cleaning staff at Myer stores out of wages and entitlements. The union has launched legal action against Spotless, claiming that 58 cleaners had been required to register as independent contractors rather than employees. They were therefore not entitled to superannuation or penalty rates, and were paid a flat hourly wage that was below the award rate. Spotless has denied that it had engaged in sham contracting. United Voice is seeking penalties of at least $A1m.

CORPORATES
SPOTLESS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SPO, UNITED VOICE, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, INCI CORP PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD

Hayne to probe industry super funds over union sponsorships

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 20-Jul-18

The superannuation industry will be a key focus of the banking royal commission’s next round of hearings, which will commence on 6 August. AustralianSuper, Hostplus and Cbus are believed to be among the industry super funds that have been asked to provide the inquiry with information on their sponsorship arrangements with unions. However, the inquiry is not believed to have requested similar information regarding such deals with employers’ groups.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, HEALTH EMPLOYEES’ SUPERANNUATION TRUST AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, THE NEW DAILY, INDUSTRY SUPER HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ME BANK, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Business rails against union bid to remove secret strike ballots

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

Delegates at the ACTU Congress have passed a resolution calling for workers to be given the right to take legally protected industrial action without the need to hold a secret ballot. The congress also endorsed resolutions on the right to strike during enterprise bargaining talks across industries or sectors and the abolition of the Australian Building & Construction Commission. Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO James Pearson has warned that the ACTU’s push for industrial relations reform would result in job losses.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, LABOUR PARTY (GREAT BRITAIN), AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL

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