LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Commission exposes deals unions and bosses want to hide

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Original article by Grace Collier
The Australian – Page: 20 : 22-Aug-15

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption has revealed that unions and companies act in collusion to extract money from workers. The unions and the Australian Labor Party (ALP) are trying to shut down the commission because they want to protect their financial interests. The Coalition could use the findings of the commission to portray the ALP as the party whose interests are not necessarily aligned with those of workers. Voters would no doubt support a political platform of eradicating business-union deals.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Senate split on China trade deal

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 21-Aug-15

The Australian Greens and four crossbench senators voted for a motion demanding the government change or abandon the China Australia Free Trade Agreement. Their opposition to the landmark deal in its present form put it at the mercy of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), which helped defeat the motion. But the ALP, under pressure from the trade unions, is insisting the Federal Government deliver on its promise to put Australian jobs first.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION

Jackson ordered to repay $1.4m to health union

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 20-Aug-15

The Federal Court has found the former head of the Health Services Union, Kathy Jackson, misused union funds. She has been ordered to repay $A1.4 million. Justice Richard Tracey said Jackson had improperly used her position to gain personal advantage, spending union funds on shopping trips, divorce payments and holidays overseas. Jackson declared bankruptcy on the first day of the court case.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA POLICE, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Labor steps up push to oust Heydon

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 19-Aug-15

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) will petition Governor-General Peter Cosgrove to remove Dyson Heydon from the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption. A motion to that effect will be debated in the Senate as early as 19 August 2015. The ALP objects to Heydon’s role in the commission on the grounds of political bias and conflict of interests. Heydon is also under pressure from the labour movement to resign from the commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED)

Heydon gives unions four days

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Phillip Coorey, Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 18-Aug-15

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the integrity of Justice Dyson Heydon, head of the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption, who is at the centre of a political brawl for agreeing to speak at a Liberal Party dinner. Abbott accused the Australian Labor Party and the trade unions of trying to smear the former High Court judge to distract attention from the findings of the royal commission. Justice Heydon has said he overlooked the Liberal Party link with the dinner when agreeing to be guest speaker.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY, THE RHODES TRUST, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Union took money from rehab centre

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 11-Aug-15

The building industry union kept half the money raised for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic, the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption has been told. Foundation House in Sydney was funded by employers, who agreed to pay $A3 a week for each employee under a workplace agreement with the union. Master Builders Association CEO Brian Seidler said he and others resigned from the clinic’s management committee when it was discovered some of the funding was diverted to union activities.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MASTERS BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, BOVIS LEND LEASE PTY LTD

Coalition to put ABCC bill to a Senate vote

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 11-Aug-15

Legislation to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission will be put to the Senate following damaging allegations in the trade union royal commission. Employment Minister Eric Abetz says the activities of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union confirm the need for an industry watchdog. The bill requires the support of six of the eight crossbench senators.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, ACTU

Strike threat poses new risk to $73b Gorgon gas project

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 20-Jul-15

The Fair Work Commission has given the green light for unions to hold a ballot of Gorgon LNG workers, prompting concerns that strike action will lead to further delays in completing the $US54bn ($A73bn) project. The protected ballot of CB&I employees follows the failure of negotiations over a new enterprise agreement. Chevron anticipates that exports from the Gorgon venture will commence by the end of 2015.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CB&I INCORPORATED, CHEVRON CORPORATION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC

Payments linked to union

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 14-Jul-15

The Royal Commission into Trade Union Corruption & Governance has heard allegations of bribery involving the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU). A Canberra-based contractor claims that he made cash payments in excess of $A135,000 to a former union organiser, Halafihi Kivalu, in return for securing work on a residential project. He was told that the CFMEU would shut down the site if he failed to make further payments. A second contractor has also claimed to have made cash payments to Kivalu.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CLASS 1 FORM PTY LTD

Shorten warned to stop dodging questions

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 10-Jul-15

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten fronted the Royal Commission Into Trade Union Governance & Corruption for a second day on 9 July 2015. Shorten was questioned about Thiess John Holland’s payment of $A300,000 to the Australian Workers’ Union during his tenure as national secretary. He told the commission that he could not recollect discussing the deal, and rejected suggestions that the union had issued fake invoices to the builder in return for the payments.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, THIESS JOHN HOLLAND, ACI, HUNTSMAN CHEMICAL COMPANY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CHIQUITA MUSHROOMS PTY LTD