LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Lowest paid lose out to tax creep

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-May-18

The Australian Industry Group argues that many low-income workers would not benefit from the ACTU’s proposed 7.2 per cent increase in the minimum wage. Due to "bracket creep", a 2.1 per cent increase in the minimum wage would result in such workers being taxed at 32.5 per cent rather than 19 per cent. AiGroup says the Fair Work Commission should take into account the fact that employers would face increased costs under the ACTU’s proposal while there would be little gain for many workers. The AiGroup has called for a 1.8 per cent increase in the minimum wage.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Wage theft claim hits project

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Original article by Michael Inman, Steven Trask, Katie Burgess
The Canberra Times – Page: 2 : 15-May-18

Hitchcock Civil Engineering & Landscaping has agreed to have its books audited, following claims of wage theft. The company is a contractor on Canberra’s $A300 million London Circuit project, and it has strongly denied the allegations of wage theft by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union. CFMMEU official Zac Smith contends that more than 20 staff that Hitchcock has working on the project could collectively be out of pocket by $A70,000.

CORPORATES
HITCHCOCK CIVIL ENGINEERING AND LANDSCAPING, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CAPITAL PROPERTY GROUP, CONSTRUCTION CONTROL

Coalition better for well-paid unionists

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-May-18

Research suggests that many blue-collar workers on high salaries will be better off under the Federal Government’s tax plan than under Labor’s alternative proposals. Workplace Minister Craig Laundy contends that families will definitely be worse off under Labor’s tax plan. For its part, Labor claims that low and middle-income earners will do better under its tax plan than under the Coalition. Although stating that 90 per cent of its members earn more than $A100,000 a year, Electrical Trades Union official Troy Gray says its members would do better under a Labor government.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, ACTU

Unions ‘new capitalists’: Kennett

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 11-May-18

About 100,000 unionists attended a rally in Melbourne’s CBD on 9 May, as part of the ACTU’s campaign for industrial relations reform. However, former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett says there is little support among the general public for workplace reform, adding that the ACTU’s campaign is undermined by the fact that many union members earn more than $A100,000 a year. CFMEU official David Noonan argues that large amounts of overtime in the construction industry boosts incomes in the sector, while building workers lack secure employment.

CORPORATES
ACTU, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Rare allies back a Big Australia

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Original article by Simon Evans
The Australian – Page: 1 & 10 : 4-May-18

The ACTU, United Voice and the Australian Industry Group are among the organisations that will sign a National Compact on Permanent Migration. The compact, which is an initiative of the Migration Council, calls for the existing goal of a yearly permanent migrant intake of 190,000 to be retained, with future numbers to be adjusted in proportion to the population. The compact is seen as a "circuit breaker" to the current debate on immigration, which has developed overtones of xenophobia, while it contains a consensus between business and union bodies on temporary migration programs, but with such programs being more strongly scrutinised.

CORPORATES
ACTU, UNITED VOICE, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, MIGRATION COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FEDERATION OF ETHNIC COMMUNITIES COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, SETTLEMENT COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, WELCOME TO AUSTRALIA

Foodora warned over sham contracts

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 30-Apr-18

The contracts that food delivery company Foodora has with its delivery riders would not stand up under legal challenge, according to a leaked email. A Foodora executive who is a former lawyer stated in a March email that its contracts contain phrases that blur the lines between employee and contractor arrangements, and that if just one was successfully challenged it could have a devastating "domino" impact on Foodora. Commenting on the leaked email, Transport Workers’ Union national secretary Tony Sheldon says Foodora has been "caught out".

CORPORATES
FOODORA, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

ACTU calls for boost to Fair Work’s powers

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 27-Apr-18

ACTU secretary Sally McManus says the Fair Work Commission should be able to order the compulsory arbitration of industrial disputes, as part of a broader increase in its powers. McManus argues that the FWC has become ineffective and there is a need to strengthen its powers to address issues such as wage theft, increases in the minimum wage and changes to industry award conditions such as the addition of paid domestic violence leave.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU

Rudd cautions Shorten over CFMEU

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 24-Apr-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has dismissed suggestions that he is too close to the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says Shorten should distance himself from the militant union, as he did when he was in office. Meanwhile, Workplace Relations Minister Craig Laundy says Labor’s industrial relations policy is being driven by unions and will result in job losses. Labor intends to scrap the Australian Building & Construction Commission if it wins the next election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Shorten CFMEU links hurt ALP

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Apr-18

There are concerns that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s efforts to boost his number within the Labor party through deals with the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union have the potential to harm its prospects at the next federal election. His leadership is said to be safe at the moment, but there are a number of potential candidates in the wings should dissatisfaction with his ties to the CFMEU grow, including Chris Bowen, Tony Burke and Tanya Plibersek.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

CFMEU boss wants Shorten to restore rights of workers

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 20-Apr-18

John Setka says that Labor has been criticised in the past for being a party that does not really stand for anything. However, the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union’s Victorian secretary says this seems to have changed under Bill Shorten. Setka says he is happy to endorse Shorten as an alternative prime minister, despite the fact that he used to represent the Australian Workers’ Union, with which Setka’s union has traditionally been at odds. Setka hopes Shorten takes action to restore the rights of workers if Labor wins the next federal election.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN RAIL, TRAM AND BUS INDUSTRY UNION