LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

CFMEU threatens building chaos

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 3-Apr-17

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union will refuse to renegotiate existing enterprise bargaining agreements to ensure that they comply with the Federal Government’s new building code. The CFMEU’s stance could result in many large construction groups being banned from gaining federal government contracts. Employment Minister Mich­ael­ia Cash argues that this will prevent CFMEU members from working on government-funded projects, while Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn warns that it will increase the cost of such projects.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, ACTU

Union backs ACTU boss on breaking law

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Original article by Aaron Patrick, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 17-Mar-17

Comments by new ACTU secretary Sally McManus suggesting that it was reasonable to break unfair laws have been widely criticised. Representatives from the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group and the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia were among those to condemn her remarks. Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten does not support McManus, saying his approach to bad laws was to get them changed. McManus has refused to retract her comments.

CORPORATES
ACTU, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT

Who are Australia’s union members? You may be surprised

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Jan-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 17.4% (or 1.9 million) Australians aged 14+ who are in full or part-time employment were members of a trade union in the year to September 2016. Union membership is highest among those employed in Public Administration and Defence, at 28.7% (or 201,000 people), followed by Community Services (27.5%, or almost one million people) and Electricity, Gas and Water (27.3%, or 98,000 people). The survey also shows that Education Professionals have the highest level of union membership, at 42.4% (383,000 people), while 28.1% of Australian Labor Party voters belong to a union, compared with just 11.8% of Liberal-National Party voters.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Growth-sapping GST must face overhaul: miners

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Original article by Sid Maher
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 9-Jan-17

The Minerals Council of Australia has used its submission to the Productivity Commission’s five-year productivity review to urge changes to the system for distributing goods and services tax revenue. The MCA argues that the current system redirects GST revenue from states that have encouraged the development of natural resources to states that place strictures on mining and energy projects. The MCA has also called for a reduction in the corporate tax rate and action to address the power of unions under the Fair Work Act.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. COMMONWEALTH GRANTS COMMISSION, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

New whistleblower protections could hit senior CFMEU officials

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 19-Dec-16

Former Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union organisers Andrew Quirk and Brian Miller are continuing to challenge their sacking after revealing in 2014 that the union’s New South Wales branch had links to an underworld figure. They are being represented by lawyer Chris McArdle, who argues that they would have had much greater protection if the Federal Government’s new whistleblower laws had been in place at the time of their dismissal.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, SEYFARTH SHAW LLP

Union’s law-breaking ‘knows no bounds’

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 16-Dec-16

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has been fined for failing to comply with the Fair Work Act in its dealings with Hindmarsh Construction Australia. The company was the head contractor on a $105m apartment project in Brisbane, and the court upheld claims that the CFMEU had used a threat of industrial action to force Hindmarsh to accede to its demands. The CFMEU and its former national president Dave Hanna have been fined $A37,500.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, HINDMARSH CONSTRUCTION AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Super-union not finished yet with mergers

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-Dec-16

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU) is merging with the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA). A memorandum of understanding for the merger was signed on 14 December 2016. CFMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor and MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said more mergers will be considered if they are advantageous to members.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, TEXTILE, CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR UNION OF AUSTRALIA

First blood: strikes to roll under ABCC delay

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Dec-16

Kane Constructions will be targeted by a series of rolling strikes by the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union because it has refused to sign a pattern enterprise bargaining agreement that does not comply with the new building code. It is estimated that about 30 clauses in the EBA may not comply with the code, which will apply to Kane as soon as it takes effect. In contrast, some 1,500 firms that have signed the EBA will not have to comply with the code until 2018. The protected strike action at 13 of Kane’s construction sites in Victoria will commence on 2 December 2016.

CORPORATES
KANE CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, BRICKWORKS LIMITED – ASX BKW

Australia Post workers compo ‘rort’

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 30-Nov-16

A former Australian Post workers’ compensation manager has alleged that some 38 per cent of its 36,743 employees have claimed such compensation. The ex-manager says workers’ compensation fraud is rife within the postal service, and that the company would be profitable if it cracked down on such practices. The former manager also claims that Communications, Electrical & Plumbing Union official Jim Metcher was responsible for Australia Post abandoning a proposed push to reduce the cost of its workers’ compensation scheme.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA POST, COMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC, ENERGY, INFORMATION, POSTAL, PLUMBING AND ALLIED SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, COMCARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. SAFETY, REHABILITATION AND COMPENSATION COMMISSION, CARROLL AND O’DEA

Unions run riot to kill workplace relations deal

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 29-Nov-16

The Federal Government is said to be close to securing a deal with Nick Xenophon regarding water reform in return for his support for its bill to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission. However, the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union is launching a series of rolling stoppages at building sites in a campaign against the ABCC bill. The protected industrial ­action is aimed at putting pressure on construction firms to endorse enterprise bargaining agreements that do not comply with the new building code.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, KANE CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD, CIMIC GROUP LIMITED – ASX CIM, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)