STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS – AUSTRALIA

Pay deal averts airport strike

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 15 : 10-Dec-24

Over 1,000 ramp, cargo and baggage operations workers employed by Emirates-owned dnata had been threatening to strike for 24 hours on Wednesday in search of better rostering, job security and pay, with the proposed strike threatened to disrupt international flights. However, the strike has been averted after talks between dnata and the Transport Workers Union on Monday, with dnata agreeing to a number of demands, including a 11 per cent pay rise over two years and seven days’ notice of roster changes.

CORPORATES
DNATA CARGO AGENCIES, EMIRATES AIRLINES, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION

$140m Woolies wipe-out boosts Coles

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 15 : 10-Dec-24

Woolworths has yet to determine the full cost of the industrial action at four of its distribution centres. The strike action was initially estimated to have cost it about $50m in lost sales, but this is expected to rise to around $140m. The resolution of the industrial dispute will result in a pay rise of 11 per cent over three years for the warehouse staff; the United Workers Union had initially sought an increase of 25 per cent. Meanwhile, rival Coles has enjoyed a sales boost due to the strike action, although it has had to put on extra staff at its supermarkets and warehouses to meet the increased demand.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, UNITED WORKERS UNION, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL

Woolworths reaches enterprise agreement with striking union workers

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Original article by Duncan Evans, Liam Beatty
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 8-Dec-24

Woolworths has begun restocking its supermarkets’ shelves after securing a new enterprise agreement for employees at four distribution centres. The deal with the United Workers Union and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association has ended a 17-day strike that is estimated to have cost the grocery giant about $50m in lost sales. The SDA has advised that the warehouse workers will receive a pay rise of 12.84 per cent over three years, a $1000 up-front cash payment, a $500 up-front gift card and a $500 gift card for the next two years. Weekend penalty rates for shift workers will also be increased, while Woolworths has agreed to concessions regarding its controversial performance management framework.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, UNITED WORKERS UNION, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION

ALP steps into Woolies dispute

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Brendan Kearns
The Australian – Page: 5 : 4-Dec-24

Woolworths estimates that the strike action by distribution centre workers has cost it about $50m in lost food sales to date. Meanwhile, Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt and staff from his department have held talks with Woolworths executives and United Workers Union officials in a bid to resolve the impasse that has led to empty shelves at Woolworths stores in Victoria and southern NSW. The 12-day strike has also affected supplies at liquor stores Dan Murphy’s and BWS, which are owned by Woolworths spin-off Endeavour Group.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, UNITED WORKERS UNION, ENDEAVOUR GROUP LIMITED – ASX EDV, DAN MURPHY’S, BWS – BEER WINE SPIRITS

Nine Entertainment CEO returns to office after Olympics trip as five-day strike comes to end

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 31-Jul-24

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance has advised that journalists from Nine Entertainment’s publishing division will return to work at 11am on Wednesday. The end of the five-day industrial action by about 500 journalists will coincide with the return of Nine’s CEO Mike Sneesby, after a week in Paris where he entertained corporate clients and attracted scrutiny for participating in the Olympic torch relay amid the turmoil in the company’s newsrooms. Michelle Rae from the MEAA says Nine’s management has committed to resuming negotiations with journalists when they return to work.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE

ABC staff cancel strike after winning pay rise, but some rankled by disrespect

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Mar-23

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s members at the ABC will not proceed with industrial action on Wednesday after the union reached an in-principle agreement with the public broadcaster for a new workplace deal. Cassie Derrick from the MEAA has praised the direct intervention of ABC MD David Anderson, and she emphasises that the dispute had not just been about pay. ABC employees will receive a pay rise of 11 per cent over three years, and a one-off bonus of $1,500. The ABC has also agreed to undertake an audit of the gender and cultural diversity pay gap, and implement a new framework for career progression. However, members of the Community & Public Sector Union at the ABC still intend to go on strike for two hours.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION

ABC staff have called off Tuesday’s planned strike to consider a new pay offer

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: Online : 7-Mar-23

ABC employees will not proceed with industrial action on Tuesday after the public broadcaster offered a sweetened pay deal. The ABC has offered a pay rise of 11.5 per cent over three years, backdated to the start of October 2022, and a sign-on bonus of $1,500. ABC employees have been pushing for annual pay rises of six per cent for three years, and negotiations with the broadcaster will continue. The 40-minute strike by ABC journalists had been timed to coincide with the latest interest rate announcement from the Reserve Bank.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC boss seeks peace deal as strike looms

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Original article by James Madden, Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 19 : 6-Mar-23

ABC MD David Anderson will meet with representatives of the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance on Monday, in a bid to avert industrial action over a new pay deal. The MEAA and the public broadcaster’s journalists have rejected an offer of a pay rise of 10.5 per cent over three years and are pushing for an annual increase of six per cent for three years. The proposed 40-minute strike on Tuesday has been timed to coincide with the Reserve Bank’s interest rate announcement. Longer strikes have been flagged in coming weeks if the ABC does not return to the bargaining table.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

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

TWU set to bring chaos to airports

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 21-May-19

The Transport Workers’ Union will begin serving claims for improved wages and conditions on Australia’s major airports in the week beginning 21 May. It will then start to lodge claims with major road transport companies. TWU national secretary Michael Kaine says it has spent the last five years aligning 200 enterprise agreements covering 38,000 workers to expire in 2020, so as to maximise the impact of its bargaining efforts, including the right to legally strike.

CORPORATES
TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY