Department of Veterans' Affairs employees are set to vote on industrial action, as the federal public sector bargaining round remains deadlocked and the Prime Minister says it is "unlikely" any agency will pay more than the sub-inflation agreement for defence force personnel.
A five-day strike at Mermaid Marine's Dampier supply base has emerged as a test of how employers and employees adapt to the winding down of major offshore resources construction projects.
The MUA has given notice of five consecutive 24-hour stoppages at the Dampier supply base operated by Mermaid Marine Australia, starting from Wednesday.
The MUA is using its industrial muscle to extract up to $1 million from employers for training funds that the Heydon Royal Commission acknowledges are legitimate, the inquiry heard today.
The impact on public sector bargaining of the implied constitutional limitation on Commonwealth interference with state governments is still not well enough understood, according to long-serving CPSU Victoria secretary Karen Batt.
The September 1 deadline the Department of Human Services set for certification of its new enterprise agreement is set to pass without employees being asked to vote on its draft offer.
Glencore Xstrata has won conditional approval for the enterprise agreement it struck with 21 non-union workers it hired when it reopened what had been its unionised Collinsville coal mine in Central Queensland earlier this year.
ANZ workers are voting on the FSU's proposed log of claims for a new enterprise agreement, which includes pushing for 4% annual wage rises across all classifications, an immediate end to offshoring of Australian jobs and a commitment to no forced redundancies.
The ACTU has produced a “bargaining toolkit” to help unions to pursue claims to offset Federal Budget measures, including the $7 GP co-payment, a freeze on child care rebates and the re-indexation of fuel excise.
Employees of national retailer Spotlight will return to award conditions today, after enterprise bargaining negotiations with the SDA failed and the union convinced the Fair Work Commission to terminate the company's first-ever collective agreement.
