LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

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

Building union facing penalties

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 8-Jul-15

The Fair Work Building & Construction inspectorate wants the Federal Court to impose financial penalties against the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union and 21 of its officials. The case centres on industrial action at two construction sites in Queensland in 2013, which was aimed at compelling contractors to sign an enterprise agreement. The inspectorate has identified 822 separate alleged breaches of the law by the union and its officials.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Business in victory over forced leave

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 12-Jun-15

Australia’s Fair Work Commission has ruled that employers are entitled to require an employee covered by an industrial award to take annual leave if they have at least seven weeks of unused leave. Meanwhile, workers who have at least four weeks of accrued leave will be entitled to cash out two weeks’ leave. The Commission noted that cash-out provisions are included in many enterprises agreements. The ruling has been welcomed by employers’ groups, but the ACTU says it will disadvantage many people on low wages.

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

Unions urge defiance on super freeze

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 26-Mar-15

The ACTU states in a submission to the Fair Work Commission that mandatory contributions to superannuation should be increased by 0.5 per cent to 10 per cent for workers on award minimum wages. The Australian Government does not want to increase super contributions, but the ACTU claims that the commission has power under the Fair Work Act to order the increase

CORPORATES
ACTU, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Unions urge defiance on super freeze

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 26-Mar-15

The ACTU states in a submission to the Fair Work Commission that mandatory contributions to superannuation should be increased by 0.5 per cent to 10 per cent for workers on award minimum wages. The Australian Government does not want to increase super contributions, but the ACTU claims that the commission has power under the Fair Work Act to order the increase

CORPORATES
ACTU, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Union could face $500,000 in penalties

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 19-Mar-15

Fair Work Building & Construction director Nigel Hadgkiss will pursue significant financial penalties against the construction industry union following a Federal Court ruling. The court has ruled that the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union’s conduct during industrial action in Melbourne in 2012 was in breach of workplace laws. The union and six officials could face fines of more than $A500,000

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FAIR WORK BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, EMPORIUM MELBOURNE, McNAB PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, GROCON PTY LTD, MONJON AUSTRALIA