LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

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

One Nation split boosts union clout

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 4-Jun-18

Further dissent within One Nation has emerged amid allegations concerning the Federal Government’s failure to pass legislation to subject union mergers to a public interest test. One Nation senator Brian Burston claims that his colleague Peter Georgiou opposed the Ensuring Integrity Bill in defiance of Burston and party leader Pauline Hanson. Burston says the latter then agreed to oppose the bill to ensure that the party was not viewed as being divided. A government source has backed Burston’s claim, stating that the government would have had sufficient support for the bill if Georgiou had voted for it.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Hike in wages a direct threat to jobs

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Original article by John Slater
The Age – Page: 19 : 4-Jun-18

The minimum wage will increase by $A24.30 per week, which is significantly lower than the $A50 rise that had been advocated by the ACTU. The 3.5 per cent increase announced by the Fair Work Commission is still well above the inflation rate, and research by shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh refutes the ACTU’s claim that a large increase in the minimum wage will prompt strong growth in jobs. The best way to lift the income of low-paid workers and to create jobs for the unemployed is to reduce the tax and regulatory burdens that deter businesses from hiring additional staff.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE MENZIES RESEARCH CENTRE LIMITED

Unions push ALP for work reforms

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 5 : 1-Jun-18

The state conference of the Australian Labor Party’s New South Wales branch will be presented with a number of union-backed motions concerning changes to workplace laws. The motions cover issues such as the right to strike, pattern bargaining, wage theft, ballots on protected industrial action, workers’ compensation and unions’ right of entry to workplaces. Unions and party branches are expected to test support for the reforms at the state conference ahead of Labor’s national conference.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION

Cash to fight subpoena over union raid tip-off

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 31-May-18

Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor has repeated his call for Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash to resign over police raids on the offices of the Australian Workers’ Union in 2017. Cash has been issued with a subpoena to give evidence in the AWU’s legal action over the raids, which were undertaken as part of an investigation into the union’s political donations. Cash has described the subpoena as a "stunt" that is aimed at protecting Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who was the AWU’s national secretary when the donations were made.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, GETUP LIMITED

Labor faces motion to bring back compulsory unionism

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 6 : 31-May-18

Members of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party will vote on a number of motions to be put forward by unions at its upcoming state conference. Amongst other things, Labor-affiliated unions will push for the reinstatement of compulsory union membership for all party members, a policy that was abandoned in 2015. Meanwhile, some Labor branches will propose that people be offered free membership of the party when they join an affiliated union.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, UNITED SERVICES UNION, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA