The Federal Court has today imposed $36,000 in fines for a "sympathy strike" last year by MUA members at Patrick Stevedores' Port Botany container terminal.
The FWC has dismissed DP World's application for orders to halt an alleged "go slow" at its Melbourne container terminal, citing concerns over the statistical evidence tendered by the stevedore.
The AWU says that Esso Australia has slashed the size of a compensation claim over unprotected industrial action in 2015 from $54 million to about $8.6 million.
A judge has in imposing a penalty on the CFMMEU for a worksite shutdown described as "something of a fiction" any belief that such fines will deter the union from future contraventions.
Defending ABCC claims against more than 50 steelworkers and two AWU organisers accused of encouraging them to strike, the union has told a court they attended a "political" Change the Rules rally before stopping work for OHS reasons as they were stressed about their employer's response.
Stevedore DP World has opened up a new strategy for employers seeking to sideline industrial action, winning a ruling from the FWC that MUA bans on shift extensions were not protected because the employer never asked employees to work beyond their hours within 30 days.
About 1800 waterfront workers have today begun a campaign of rolling strikes at DP World container terminals across Australia this week, after the MUA and stevedore failed to reach agreement on a new enterprise deal.
The ABCC is pressing ahead with prosecutions against the CFMMEU, three officials and 44 individual workers over alleged industrial action last year on a Perth airport rail link project.
A full Federal Court majority has today rejected a judge's reasoning for ordering the MUA to pay a fine of just $38,000 for a week-long unlawful strike at Hutchison Ports' Sydney and Brisbane container terminals, but has rebuffed the FWO's contention that the stevedore should have been awarded $600,000 in damages it didn't seek.
Two AMWU delegates sacked by Visy for allegedly organising unprotected industrial action over a new drug and alcohol policy will have their delayed unfair dismissal cases heard after admissions by the union and one of its officials helped end entwined Federal Court proceedings today.
