LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

I was stooge for AWU: Blewitt

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Original article by Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 6 : 7-Jul-17

Former Australian Workers’ Union official Ralph Blewitt has appeared in the Perth Magistrate’s Court to face 31 charges of fraud. The charges relate to his alleged involvement with the AWU Workplace Reform Association in the 1990s. The Association was set up by then AWU senior official Bruce Wilson, who received legal advice from former prime minister Julia Gillard on its establishment. Blewitt said after his court appearance that the charges relate to monies of over $A300,000 linked to the fund. He claims that he was just the fund’s "bagman", and that he was set up to be the "fall guy".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, PERTH MAGISTRATE’S COURT, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION – WORKPLACE REFORM ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH

Spitting chips: workers accuse potato giant of ‘wage theft’

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Original article by Anna Patty
The Age – Page: 4 : 6-Jul-17

The National Union of Workers has warned that extending the industrial award for farm workers to people who work in packing and storage sheds could result in wage cuts of up to eight per cent. Potato grower Mitolo Group has applied to the Fair Work Commission to have the scope of the Horticulture Award broadened to include non-farm gate workers, but the NUW argues that such staff should be covered by the Storage Services Award.

CORPORATES
MITOLO GROUP PTY LTD, NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Alarm over ruling on casual staff

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Jul-17

The Australian Retailers Association has warned that smaller retailers in particular will be hard hit by a ruling that some casual employees will be entitled to become permanent staff after 12 months’ employment. The Fair Work Commission’s ruling applies to casual employees who are covered by 85 industrial awards, although the FWC rejected the ACTU’s push for casual employees to be given working shifts of at least four hours. The FWC will allow employers to refuse to convert casual staff to permanent employees if they have reasonable grounds to do so.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Coles ends bargaining over weekend rates

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 5-Jul-17

Grocery retailer Coles has opened negotiations with unions for a new two-year enterprise bargaining agreement. Coles has indicated that the new EBA will be based on the minimum employment conditions in the relevant industrial award. The Fair Work Commission terminated the existing EBA in 2016, as it included lower weekend penalty rates in return for higher base pay rates. Coles has advised that all employees will be paid at least the award rate at all times under the new EBA.

CORPORATES
COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, THE AUSTRALASIAN MEAT INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES’ UNION, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS’ UNION, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED

CFMEU faces bankruptcy from lawsuit

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 3-Jul-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and several of its senior officials have been served with a writ in the Victorian Supreme Court. The writ relates to a failed apartment project on the site of Pentridge prison in Melbourne’s north, with the writ alleging that the CFMEU used illegal coercion and threats that caused delays that led to the project’s failure. The value of the writ is potentially as high as $A150 million, a sum that could bankrupt the union if the case went against it.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, WEST HOMES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, PENTRIDGE VILLAGE PTY LTD

Do you want a rise with that

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Original article by Lanai Scarr
The Advertiser – Page: 25 : 29-Jun-17

Modelling by the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry shows that the take-home pay of most workers in sectors such as retailing and hospitality will increase from 1 July, when Sunday penalty rates are reduced. The lower penalty rates – to be progressively phased in over three years – will be offset by a 3.3 per cent increase in the award wage rate, which also takes effect on 1 July. ACCI CEO James Pearson has urged unions to end their "deliberate" campaign of misinformation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Unions need to argue wage rises drive growth, says Swan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 26-Jun-17

Former federal treasurer Wayne Swan says the Australian Labor Party and the union movement need to better argue the case for improved wages for middle-class workers. Swan will tell the annual ACTU congress that he fears that the Australian middle-class will become like the fast-disappearing US middle-class if wages do not rise. Swan’s comments follow those recently made by Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe, who said employees need to be more forceful when it comes to asking for wage rises.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, DEMOCRATIC PARTY (UNITED STATES)

Rogue unionists could be banned

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 22-Jun-17

The Australian Government will seek to ban officials of registered organisations such as unions from holding office if they repeatedly break the law. The proposed legislative reforms will also enable courts to deregister organisations that have become "dysfunctional". The move follows comments by Construction, Forestry Mining & Energy Union official John Setka about targeting Australian Building & Construction Commission inspectors in their private lives. His comments have been condemned by the Opposition.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE

Union leaders praise McManus, urge workers to break laws

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 21-Jun-17

The militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union organised stop-work rallies for building workers across Australia on 20 June 2017. The CFMEU’s Victorian secretary John Setka told a 20,000-strong audience in Melbourne that the union will actively target Australian Building & Construction Commission inspectors in their private lives. In Sydney, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union’s New South Wales secretary Tim Ayres backed calls by ACTU secretary Sally McManus to ignore laws that are unjust.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD

Shoppies’ union faces scrutiny over wages scandal

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Original article by Ben Schneiders, Royce Millar
The Age – Page: 6 : 20-Jun-17

A Senate inquiry will investigate enterprise agreements between large retailers and the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees Association which include penalty rates that are lower than the industry award "safety net". The Federal Government, the Australian Labor Party and the Greens have supported the motion by independent senator Nick Xenophon. Meanwhile, Retail & Fast Food Workers Union secretary Josh Cullinan has called for swift action to implement amendments to the Fair Work Act proposed by Greens MP Adam Bandt that are aimed at protecting employees from similar wage deals.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, RETAIL AND FAST FOOD WORKERS UNION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT