LABOR UNIONS – AUSTRALIA

Albanese backs grand bargain with big business and unions

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 5 : 30-May-22

The ACTU and the Business Council of Australia have indicated they hope to use the federal government’s employment summit in September to implement an co-operative agenda that will see growth in productivity and higher wages. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the key to achieving such a "grand bargain" is a government that is willing to broker it, and that brings people together. He claims he has always said that unions and businesses have common interests, and that the best way to boost both wages and profits without putting pressure on inflation is by increasing productivity.

CORPORATES
ACTU, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Gas workers threaten bans over outsourcing

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 26-May-22

Production workers on Shell’s Prelude floating LNG facility are preparing to launch industrial action, Amongst other things, they are seeking a ban on the outsourcing of jobs to contractors on lower pay than that of direct employees who do the same job. Australian Workers’ Union national secretary Daniel Walton says it will not budge from the basic starting point that workers doing the same work on the same site should be paid the same rate.

CORPORATES
SHELL COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SHELL PLC, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

Aged care wages should be Labor’s ‘first priority’: HSU boss

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Original article by Angus Thompson
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 26-May-22

The Fair Work Commission has held several weeks of hearings regarding the Health Services Union’s push for a 25 per cent increase in the wages of aged-care workers. The HSU’s national president Gerard Hayes says the federal government’s submission to the wage case should be the new Labor administration’s top priority. Carolyn Smith from the United Workers Union agrees that the issue must be a priority for the government. It was recently estimated that there is a shortage of about 60,000 workers in the aged-care sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, HEALTH SERVICES UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, UNITED WORKERS UNION

Unions weigh in on Rio’s woes

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Original article by Peter Ker, David Marin-Guzman, Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 3-Feb-22

Mining & Energy Union president Tony Maher says the deunionisation of Rio Tinto’s workforce in the 1990s contributed to the toxic culture that has been exposed by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick. Her review of Rio Tinto’s culture found that conduct such as bullying, sexual harassment and racism are rife within the resources giant. Brad Gandy from the Australian Workers’ Union says it has been warning Rio Tinto of problems with its culture for many years; he adds that bullying occurs at Rio Tinto’s iron ore operations on a daily basis.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, MINING AND ENERGY UNION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

Privacy fight for BHP vax order as miners caught faking jabs

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 19-Jan-22

BHP has defended its decision to require all employees to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status by 31 January. The resources group says it needs all relevant information to ensure that employees are not faking their vaccination status. A spokesman says that immunisation history statements and COVID-19 digital certificates will only be viewed by members of BHP’s health and medical teams. The CFMEU has expressed concern about the privacy implications of BHP’s policy, and has taken the matter to the Fair Work Commission.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Liberals slam unions’ strike threat on rapid antigen tests

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Original article by Jess Malcolm
The Australian – Page: 4 : 19-Jan-22

The federal government has criticised the ACTU for raising the prospect of strike action if workers are not given free rapid antigen tests. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned that industrial action at this stage of the pandemic would punish Australian families, while Health Minister Greg Hunt says the provision of free rapid tests across all sectors would "destroy" the supply chain. Frydenberg has also rejected claims that the government has adopted a ‘let it rip’ approach to COVID-19. Labor leader Anthony Albanese says businesses should not have to bear the cost of providing their employees with rapid antigen tests.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Morrison takes on the wharfies

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 1-Dec-21

The Maritime Union of Australia recently agreed to suspend industrial action against stevedoring firm Patrick until at least 10 December. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signalled that the federal government may be prepared to intervene if the parties do not negotiate in good faith to end their long-running dispute. He has stressed that ports are critical to the nation’s economy, and contends that inefficient ports are a tax on all Australians. Morrison has also advised that the Productivity Commission will hold an inquiry into the nation’s ports; its findings are slated to be released in mid-2022.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA, PATRICK TERMINALS, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION

Unvaxxed BHP miners agree to get the jab

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 5 : 25-Nov-21

BHP has advised that fewer than 35 workers at its Mt Arthur coal mine have yet to provide evidence that they are vaccinated against COVID-19. The resources group recently stood down nearly 80 of the mine’s workers under its mandatory vaccination policy. The CFMEU and the ACTU are challenging the validity of this policy in the Fair Work Commission, contending that BHP did not comply with the consultation requirements of the Work, Health and Safety Act.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

News site losing millions but increasing in value

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Original article by John Rolfe
The Daily Telegraph – Page: Online : 2-Nov-21

The financial accounts of Industry Super Holdings shows that The New Daily lost $2.7m in 2020-21. The superannuation industry-backed news website has not booked a profit since it was founded nearly a decade ago, but its book value has been upgraded from zero to $4.4m following a review by an independent valuation expert. Liberal senator Andrew Bragg has questioned why super fund members are continuing to fund The New Daily, and reiterated his view that it is a "propaganda outfit" for union-linked super funds.

CORPORATES
THE NEW DAILY, INDUSTRY SUPER HOLDINGS PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Unions slam BHP over FIFO searches

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 3 : 20-Oct-21

BHP has been criticised for implementing a new policy that allows it to search the personal belongings of ‘fly in, fly out’ workers. Western Mine Workers Alliance spokesman Greg Busson says FIFO workers in Western Australia have been told that they will not be permitted to stay in BHP’s mining camps if they do not agree to the policy. He adds that the policy is "wide open to abuse". BHP has indicated that searches will only be carried out if there is reason to believe that a worker is in possession of prohibited items.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESTERN MINE WORKERS ALLIANCE