LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Unlawful strikes cost ‘woeful’ CFMEU $300,000

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 7 : 4-Aug-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has been ordered to pay $A300,000 in fines arising from unprotected strike action at three Queensland building sites in May 2011. The Federal Court described the CFMEU as a "recidivist" with a long history of failing to comply with workplace laws. The Communications, Electrical & Plumbing Union has been fined $A130,000 for participating in the unlawful strike action, and the court noted that it has a better record of complying with workplace laws than the CFMEU.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, COMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC, ENERGY, INFORMATION, POSTAL, PLUMBING AND ALLIED SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Labor to re-arm unions in inequality fightback

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Aug-17

The Opposition’s industrial relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor has flagged a greater role for unions in enterprise agreement negotiations if the Australian Labor Party wins the next federal election. He has used a Sydney Institute speech to argue that employers now have too much bargaining power in wage negotiations, and noted that there has been a marked shift toward industrial award at the expense of collective agreements since 2008. He also questioned the effectiveness of the Fair Work Act and whether the Fair Work Commission’s powers are sufficient.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SYDNEY INSTITUTE, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

ANZ restructure raises union fears of significant job losses

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman, James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 16 : 1-Aug-17

ANZ Bank CEO Shayne Elliott will emphasis on 1 August 2017 via a video to all staff that its Australasian focus is on retail customers and on corporate customers in Asia. The video will follow on from a message sent by Elliott on the previous day in which he called for changes to ANZ’s work practices and flexibility. Julia Angrisano of the Finance Sector Union says it is concerned that what appears to be a major reorganisation by ANZ will lead to job cuts at the bank.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, FINANCE SECTOR UNION, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ST GEORGE BANK LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Union claims not practical

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Original article by Estha Van Der Linden
The Advertiser – Page: 26 : 25-Jul-17

The Fair Work Commission has rejected claims by the union movement for paid leave for family and domestic violence, after some months of consideration. It has also rejected applications for changes to part-time and casual employment; both measures would have served as a deterrent to employment. The FWC is now considering an application to have paid leave for giving blood to be inserted in some awards, despite blood donation being a strictly voluntary act and something that employees can do in their own time.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, BUSINESS SA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Union bid to penalise builders for IR deals

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-Jul-17

The Electrical Trades Union is seeking a trade-off with employers to ensure that their enterprise bargaining agreements comply with the Australian Government’s building code. Amongst other things, the ETU wants workers to receive double-time pay rates for working on a scheduled rostered day off and to receive a day in lieu. Existing EBAs provide for a day in lieu and standard pay rates for working on RDOs. EBAs will have to comply with the building code from September for companies to be eligible for federally-funded construction projects.

CORPORATES
ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, JOHN HOLLAND PTY LTD

A union merger that will cost us all

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Original article by
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 38 : 14-Jul-17

The proposed merger between the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and two smaller unions will strengthen the union movement’s influence on the Australian economy. An enlarged CFMEU would have unprecedented control over the supply chain from "pit to port" across the nation’s resources sector. While the merger will be welcomed by the Australian Labor Party, a merger in the corporate sector that would result in a similar monopoly over labour supply would attract scrutiny from the competition regulator. Editorial.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, DE MARTIN AND GASPARINI PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CHEVRON CORPORATION

Militant super union a step closer

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-Jul-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has submitted a formal application to merge with two smaller unions. It wants the Maritime Union of Australia and the Textile, Clothing & Footwear Union to be exempt from a ballot, given their much smaller membership bases. Meanwhile, the Australian Mines & Metals Association has expressed concern about the potential impact of the proposed mega-union on the supply chain across the resources and energy sector. It will lobby the Federal Government to introduce laws requiring union mergers to satisfy a public interest test.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CHEVRON CORPORATION, GORGON PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Enterprise bargaining looks irrelevant

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 12-Jul-17

There is a growing shift away from enterprise bargaining in Australia, as the system has generally failed to meet expectations in the last two decades or so. The industrial awards system still dominates many workplaces, and even large companies such as Coles intend to base new enterprise agreements on the minimum award conditions. Meanwhile, unions often use enterprise agreements to secure additional concessions for their members rather than to increase workplace productivity and flexibility.

CORPORATES
COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MURDOCH UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

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