LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Watchdog tests its extra bite on building union

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 30-May-18

The Australian Building & Construction Commission alleges that a blockade organised by three Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union representatives in May 2017 breached workplace laws. The ABCC’s legal action contends that the blockade of two Melbourne construction sites constituted a breach of the unlawful picketing provisions of the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act. The union representatives claimed that they had prevented workers from accessing the site on a designated rostered day off.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Labor open to union demands, rejects strike bid

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 23-May-18

Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor has indicated that Labor will consider a proposal for rules governing unions’ right to enter workplaces to be relaxed. The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union’s Victorian secretary John Setka has also called for Labor to make changes to the provisions of the Fair Work Act with regard to protected industrial action, although O’Connor says this will not be on the party’s agenda.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Productivity blamed for low wage growth

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 2 : 21-May-18

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has rejected claims by ACTU president Sally McManus that low wages growth is the result of a shift in the industrial relations system in favour of employers rather than unions. Research by the AiG suggests that low growth in productivity is a major contributor to flat growth wages. Willox says low wages growth is a global trend, and he notes that there has been strong wages growth in some sectors due to supply and demand considerations.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Setka tells Shorten: loosen strike laws

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-May-18

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union’s Victorian secretary John Setka has urged Labor to make changes to the Fair Work Act if it wins the next federal election. Amongst other things, he has called for rules governing protected industrial action and unions’ right to enter workplaces to be relaxed. Setka has also criticised former Labor prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard over their policies on industrial relations. Meanwhile, Michele O’Neil is tipped to succeed Ged Kearney as president of the ACTU. O’Neil is the national secretary of the textiles union, which is part of the CFMMEU.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, VICTORIA POLICE, VICTORIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

Union vows to sue after blackmail case folds

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-May-18

Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions will not proceed with a blackmail case against Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union officials John Setka and Shaun Reardon. Setka has indicated that he may pursue legal action against federal and state police, as well as law firm Freehills. The case against Setka and Reardon had centred on allegations that their threat to blockade Boral trucks in 2013 constituted blackmail. The CFMEU was engaged in an industrial dispute with Boral supplier Grocon at the time. The charges against Setka and Reardon had been recommended by the trade union royal commission.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, VICTORIA POLICE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS

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