LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Union claim for casual workers’ upgrade a ‘threat to full-time jobs’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 2 : 18-Aug-16

The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry has warned of the economic cost of the ACTU’s push for casual workers to become permanent employees after being in a job for six months. ACCI CEO James Pearson says modelling by Australian National University economists suggests that the proposed reform would cost the economy about $A3.7bn a year and result in the loss of 19,000 full-time equivalent jobs. The Fair Work Commission is likely to rule on the matter later in 2016.

CORPORATES
ACTU, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Major builder faces ban

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 12-Aug-16

The Federal Circuit Court has imposed $A25,575 in penalties on Hutchinson Builders. The court found that the company did not want to award a contract to a business whose enterprise agreement lacked approval from the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union. The case is now being considered by Fair Work Building & Construction, and Hutchinson Builders may be subject to other sanctions.

CORPORATES
FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, HUTCHINSON BUILDERS, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Millions can cash out leave

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Nick Toscano
The Age – Page: 23 : 4-Aug-16

Almost two million Australian employees who are covered by the modern industrial awards system will now have the option of cashing out part of their annual leave entitlement. The Fair Work Commission’s decision to allow cashing out has the support of the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, although ACTU secretary Dave Oliver has expressed concern about the potential ramifications of the decision. The FWC is expected to issue a ruling on weekend penalty rates in September 2016.

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

ACCC raids CFMEU in probe into price-fixing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 27-Jul-16

The militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union is under scrutiny for potential cartel activity. Its office in Canberra was raided by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and the Australian Federal Police on 26 July 2016, in response to allegations of price-fixing that were raised during hearings of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. Union boss Dave Noonan has denied that the CFMEU or its officials engaged in such practices.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION

Games site hostage to union ‘ploy’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 26-Jul-16

The Federal Court has been told that stopwork action at a key 2018 Commonwealth Games construction site was unlawful and unconscionable. Fair Work Building & Construction claims that the industrial action by the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union was designed to get lead contractor Hansen Yuncken to accept a new enterprise bargaining agreement. The CFMEU says the two-hour stopwork meetings – which were held twice a day – were needed to inform workers about the Coalition’s proposed industrial relations reforms in the lead-up to the federal election.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HANSEN YUNCKEN PTY LTD, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED, HUTCHINSON BUILDERS, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FAIR WORK BUILDING INDUSTRY INSPECTORATE

CFA bosses all aboard

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Matt Johnston
Herald Sun – Page: 13 : 20-Jul-16

The Victorian Government will be able to press ahead with plans to impose a contentious enterprise bargaining agreement on the Country Fire Authority, after confirming the last four appointments to its board. The Government had sacked the previous board due to its opposition to the EBA, amid concerns that it represented a takeover of the CFA by the United Firefighters’ Union. The last four appointees are CFA nominees, although the Government’s nominees dominate the new board.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, UNITED FIREFIGHTERS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALASIAN FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES AUTHORITIES COUNCIL LIMITED

Power ‘at risk’ over CFMEU dispute

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 3 : 12-Jul-16

The Fair Work Commission has ruled in AGL Energy’s favour in a dispute with the Construction, Forestry, Energy & Mining Union. An interim order requires workers at AGL’s Loy Yang A power station in Victoria to resume normal working hours. AGL had alleged that the CFMEU’s ban on working overtime constituted unprotected industrial action. The dispute centres on the CFMEU’s wage claim, which would result in Loy Yang workers being paid an average of $A180,000 per year for a four-day working week.

CORPORATES
AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, LOY YANG A

United Voice penalty rates push key to marginal swing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 8 : 7-Jul-16

David McElrea, the assistant secretary of United Voice, says the union movement’s campaign on the issue of penalty rates in 10 marginal was a significant contributor to the large swing to the Australian Labor Party in the federal election. The union-backed campaign included text messages, robocalling and digital advertising, and played on fears that the Coalition would reduce weekend penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors if it is re-elected.

CORPORATES
UNITED VOICE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, REACHTEL PTY LTD

Legal woes mount for CFMEU

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Butler
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Jul-16

The liquidator of two failed building contractors has alleged that officials and employees of the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union threatened to commit unlawful acts. It has also been alleged that they attempted to induce subcontractors at a Melbourne construction site to break their contracts. The Federal Court recently fined the CFMEU some $A180,000 for its role in an illegal blockade of a construction site.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, PENTRIDGE VILLAGE PTY LTD, WEST HOMES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, CAPITAL FINANCE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, IMPROVED CONCRETE PUMPING SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Patrick bid to end dispute on enterprise agreement

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 24-Jun-16

Stevedoring firm Patrick wants the Fair Work Commission to intervene in a dispute over a new enterprise agreement with the Maritime Union of Australia. Patrick will ask the commission to order the union to respond to the company’s proposal, which was made in April 2016. The union criticised the move but it said it has no plans to put pressure on the company through industrial action before the federal election on 2 July.

CORPORATES
PATRICK CORPORATION LIMITED, ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION