LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Union staff apply to go on strike

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Original article by Matthew Stevens
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 30-Aug-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union is facing industrial action by clerical and administration employees at the head office of its mining and energy division in Queensland. About 15 members of the Australian Services Union are seeking an annual pay rise of 1.5 per cent as part of enterprise agreement negotiations. The existing agreement expired six months ago, and the staff are seeking approval to undertake protected industrial action. The pay claim has coincided with the CFMEU’s industrial dispute with coal miner Glencore.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SERVICES UNION, GLENCORE PLC, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Union chief avoids police action over ‘threats’

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 25-Aug-17

The Construction, Forestry Mining & Energy Union has welcomed the Australian Federal Police’s decision not to pursue an investigation against Victorian state secretary John Setka. Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash had asked the AFP to investigate alleged threats made by Setka against Australian Building & Construction Commission staff at a rally in June. A spokesperson for Cash has reiterated her concern about the tone of Setka’s comments.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LAING O’ROURKE AUSTRALIA CONSTRUCTION PTY LTD, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD, PROBUILD CONSTRUCTIONS (VICTORIA) PTY LTD, THE MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA

Rich pay deal on way to approval

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 24-Aug-17

The Australian Building & Construction Commission’s preliminary assessment of Probuild’s new enterprise agreement has concluded that it complies with the building code. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash and Master Builders Australia have criticised the pay deal, which includes significantly higher penalty rates. Probuild’s in-principle agreement with the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union will be submitted for approval by the Fair Work Commission. Cash notes that over 860 enterprise agreements now comply with the building code.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, PROBUILD PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD

Union pay rises exploit PM’s code

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 23-Aug-17

Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn says pay rates in a proposed new enterprise bargaining agreement in the building industry are "unsustainable" and will increase the cost of federally-funded construction projects. The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union’s in-principle agreement includes a pay rise of five per cent and higher penalty rates, with penalty rates of up to 300 per cent for working during Christmas and Easter. The new pay deal is aimed at compensating CFMEU members for the removal of union-friendly ­conditions from EBAs in order to comply with the Federal Government’s building code.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, PROBUILD PTY LTD, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

‘Orwellian merger test an affront to democracy’

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 18-Aug-17

The Federal Government’s proposal to subject trade union mergers to a public interest test has been criticised by ACTU secretary Sally McManus. Factors such as a union’s history of compliance with workplace laws and the merger’s effect on businesses would be taken into account when deciding whether to approve it. McManus claims that the bill breaches the International Labour Organization’s conventions on freedom of association, and that the Government is using the bill as a distraction.

CORPORATES
ACTU, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Probe for Shorten over AWU’s GetUp! donation

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 16-Aug-17

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has formally referred a union donation to activist group GetUp to the Registered Organisations Commission. The Australian Workers’ Union made the donation of about $A100,000 in 2005, when current Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was the union’s national secretary. A spokesman for Shorten has indicated that the donation had been approved by the AWU’s national executive. However, some members of the national executive at the time say they have no recollection of the donation being formally approved.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, GETUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS COMMISSION, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

CFMEU loss as bench rules code-compliant deal OK

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Aug-17

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that Lendlease Engineering’s enterprise bargaining agreement in New South Wales is valid. The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union had appealed against the FWC’s June 2017 decision to approve the EBA, which complies with the Federal Government’s building code. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has urged the CFMEU to negotiate code-compliant EBAs. Cash also wants union mergers to be subject to a public-interest test.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL UNION OF WORKERS, UNITED VOICE, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ONE NATION PARTY

CFMEU’s Setka to fight charge

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Original article by Pia Akerman
The Australian – Page: 3 : 15-Aug-17

The Supreme Court of Victoria has ruled that criminal charges of blackmail laid against two Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union officials should proceed. The CFMEU had sought to have the charges deemed invalid on the grounds that the alleged blackmail occurred during an industrial dispute. The charges against CFMEU Victorian secretary John Setka and his deputy Shaun Reardon relate to allegations of blackmail against two Boral executives in 2013. The CFMEU is expected to appeal against the court’s ruling.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

PM bid to block super union

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Aug-17

The Fair Work Commission is expected to issue a ruling on the proposed merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and the Maritime Union of Australia by the end of 2107. However, the Federal Government hopes to block the merger by seeking an amendment to the Fair Work (Registered Organisations Act) that would require the FWC to subject union mergers to a public-interest test. The CFMEU has criticised the move, but representatives of the mining and resources sector have lobbied the Government to block the merger.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

Bluescope wins labour dispute

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Original article by Anna Patty
The Age – Page: 23 : 10-Aug-17

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that it was appropriate for Bluescope Steel to hire contract labour to cope with a seasonal rise in demand at its steel mill in Victoria, rather than employing permanent employees for just eight weeks. The steel-maker had contended that its enterprise agreement allowed it to hire temporary workers without obtaining the consent of unions, an argument which had been rejected by the Australian Workers’ Union. BlueScope also argued that overtime restrictions prevented it from using existing staff, which the AWU also disputed.

CORPORATES
BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES