The financial implications of the ABCC's Pattinson High Court case being heard today have been reinforced by the Federal Court's latest ruling against the CFMMEU, a judge acknowledging that while the $460,000 fine factored in the union's long history of contraventions it still needed to be "proportionate" to the breaches involved.
Two weeks after locking workers out of its Sydney depot, global logistics giant FedEx has become the last of the country's major transport companies to reach agreement on a new deal with the TWU.
The Toll Group has applied for the FWC to intervene in a bargaining dispute that has expanded to include indefinite strikes by UWU members at seven warehouses across three states.
Patrick Terminals has on the basis of a claimed threat to the national economy applied to terminate industrial action by MUA members at its four container terminals, increasing pressure on the union to reach a new enterprise agreement.
The MUA has begun legal action aimed at requiring the stevedore DP World to engage with 22 employees sacked for not acceding to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The MUA has accused Patrick of "bullying" after the stevedore yesterday applied to the FWC to terminate its nominally-expired union deal to break a 20-month bargaining deadlock amid a round of strikes at its container terminals in four states.
The TWU says it has reached in-principle agreements with four more big trucking and logistics companies as it continues campaigning against "Amazon-driven" outsourcing, while warning three remaining targets they face strikes this week.
The TWU says Toll workers will not participate in planned national strikes next week if delegates accept an in-principle deal struck with the transport group that includes improved job security and an industry-first 15% employer superannuation contribution.
Major freight operator StarTrack has applied for the FWC to stop a protected 24-hour strike by TWU members on Thursday because it would hamper the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical supplies.
The MUA has spurned a final offer on a new enterprise agreement from Patrick stevedores, despite the company warning employees it will consider "necessary steps to preserve the business".
