LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Labor to pass China FTA despite unions

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 14-Oct-15

The Australian Government is expected to agree to some minor changes to the free trade agreement with China that have been endorsed by the Opposition’s caucus. The three amendments to the Migration Act relate to foreign workers who are hired on 457 visas. The trade deal is now expected to be passed by Parliament within weeks, allowing it to come into effect by the end of 2015. However, ACTU president Ged Kearney says the protection of Australian jobs is still a concern.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

Denials wear thin as evidence mounts

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Schneiders
The Age – Page: 5 : 14-Oct-15

Melbourne’s EastLink tollroad project was finished well ahead of schedule, but evidence presented to the trade union royal commission demonstrates that industrial peace came at a cost. Julian Rzesniowiecki was a senior executive at Thiess John Holland, who kept records showing that the Australian Workers’ Union had proposed that Thiess pay $A300,000 for one union organiser to be on site. The proposal was put forward by current Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in his capacity as head of the AWU. He had initially proposed that Thiess pay for four AWU members to be on site for the life of the project.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, THIESS JOHN HOLLAND, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Shorten unlikely to reappear at commission

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 7-Oct-15

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption will hear further evidence concerning the Australian Workers’ Union in the week beginning 12 October 2015. However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is not expected to be asked to front the inquiry again, as there have been no applications to cross-examine the former AWU national secretary. Shorten has been highly critical of the royal commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, THIESS JOHN HOLLAND, CLEANEVENT PTY LTD, ACI GLASS PACKAGING, DOWNER EDI LIMITED – ASX DOW, UNIBUILT, WINSLOW CONSTRUCTORS PTY LTD, CHIQUITA MUSHROOMS PTY LTD

Strikers still eligible for productivity bonus

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 6-Oct-15

The full bench of the Fair Work Commission has rejected a bid by Thiess to overturn a previous ruling on the payment of a productivity bonus to coal miners who had gone on strike. The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union had argued that workers at the Mt Owen mine in New South Wales should be entitled to the productivity-linked component of a weekly allowance, despite being on strike for three months. The union had argued that an enterprise agrement did not specify any causes for non-payment of the bonus.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THIESS PTY LTD, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

PM calls back reform summit

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 29-Sep-15

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has organised a summit with key representations of the business and community sectors to discuss economic reforms. The summit will be held on 1 October 2015, and will include Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox, ACTU secretary Dave Oliver, Business Council of Australia Jennifer Westacott and Australian Council for Social Services CEO Cassandra Goldie. Issues such as superannuation tax breaks are likely to be on the agenda.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, ACTU, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR WOMEN, COUNCIL ON THE AGEING, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN YOUTH AFFAIRS COALITION INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SYDNEY INSTITUTE

Shorten may reappear at commission

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 25-Sep-15

The activities of the Australian Workers’ Union will come under further scrutiny by the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. Royal commissioner Dyson Heydon has indicated that Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten – a former national secretary of the AWU – will not be required to appear before the inquiry again at this stage, but he has not ruled out asking Shorten to do so if this is deemed necessary.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, THIESS JOHN HOLLAND, ACI GLASS PACKAGING, DOWNER EDI LIMITED – ASX DOW, UNIBUILT, CLEANEVENT, WINSLOW CONSTRUCTORS PTY LTD, CHIQUITA MUSHROOMS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

CFMEU safety breaches ‘neither isolated nor minor’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Elizabeth Colman
The Australian – Page: 2 : 17-Sep-15

The construction union has been taken to court for failing to observe safety rules. Fair Work Building & Construction (FWBC) alleged in the Federal Circuit Court that union officials from the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union breached the safety rules on numerous occasions. FWBC director Nigel Hadgkiss will talk about the case at a safety conference on 17 September 2015.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Top CFMEU official quits over IVF funding scandal

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Sep-15

It has been revealed that Dave Hanna stepped down as national president of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union after being linked to payments made by two subcontractors to finance IVF treatment for the partner of a union organiser. Hanna resigned in August 2015, and he is the subject of an investigation by the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption over an unrelated matter. He had cited health issues as the reason for his resignation.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, DB SCAFFOLDING AND RIGGING AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GLOBAL HR PTY LTD, BUILDERS’ LABOURERS’ FEDERATION CHARITY FOUNDATION

Court penalises CFMEU officials

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 11-Sep-15

The Federal Court of Australia has imposed fines on the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and two union officials for failing to comply with laws on the right of entry to building sites. The union must pay a penalty of $A225,000 while the officials must pay $A27,500 and $A20,000 respectively. The union is not allowed to reimburse the officials.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Super fund CEO ‘knew’ about leak

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 8-Sep-15

Cbus CEO David Atkin has been accused of being likely involved in the leaking of confidential information to the construction industry union. Jeremy Stoljar, counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption, also stated in a submission to royal commissioner Dyson Heydon that the relationship of Cbus with the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union was problematic and characterised by "serious cultural problems."

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, LIS-CON HOLDINGS PTY LTD