The High Court has today upheld an appeal by Esso Australia against a finding that industrial action taken by the AWU in 2015 was protected, in a decision that leaves the way open for a substantial damages claim against the union.
CFMEU construction and general division Victorian branch secretary John Setka has foreshadowed an appeal to the High Court if the State's Court of Appeal does not throw out blackmail charges against him and his lieutenant next year.
The MUA is facing substantial penalties after the Federal Court today found it orchestrated unlawful industrial action at Hutchison's Port Botany and Brisbane container terminals in 2015, unleashing "every tool available" when confronted with "what it perceived to be an existential threat".
A union delegate has been reinstated after the FWC determined that the absence of managerial opposition to a brief on-site "undies" protest meant it failed the legislative definition of unlawful industrial action.
The Fair Work Ombudsman is pushing for the NUW to pay $800,000 in damages to retailer Woolworths over alleged unlawful industrial action in 2015 at two distribution centres in Melbourne.
Qube Logistics, Patrick Stevedores and the MUA have proposed a timetable for mediation early next year ahead of hearings in August into the companies' bid to recoup damages from bans on loading and unloading containers at Port Botany this year.
The Federal Court at a directions hearings on Friday will deal with multimillion dollar bids by Qube Logistics and Patrick Stevedores to sue the MUA and officials for damages as a result of bans earlier this year on loading and unloading containers at Port Botany.
The Federal Court has imposed record fines totalling more than $2.4 million against the CFMEU national and NSW branches and nine officials over breaches at Barangaroo in 2014, but says that without "legislative action" even higher penalties currently available under the law might not deter the militant union.
