Industrial disputes & news - 1 May 2024

WA public transit, teachers & healthcare; Vic nurses ; Adelaide trains; Adelaide Remand Centre; Wilmar Sugar; Electrolux; QLD teachers; TAS Child Safety; ICON Cancer Centres; CPB, City of Ballarat

RTBU WA - Transperth

There was no free public transport last Friday, as industrial action by Perth’s transit officers was paused for a vote by RTBU members on an improved offer.  The offer includes pay increases of 12.5% over 3 years as well as increases to shift penalties and easier access to long service leave. Transit officers are part of the WA Public Sector alliance alongside teachers, cops, healthcare workers and others. This is the first deal made by an alliance union with the Cook government, falling just shy of the 12% over 2 years demand, but perhaps offset by allowances.

SSTUWA/PFWA - WA Public Schools

Following a half day strike by public school teachers in WA last week, principals and school leaders - members of the Principals Federation of WA commenced a week of work bans starting on 29 April. The bans are tightly targeted on the employer, and are promised to not disadvantage schools or students. Principals and their deputies will refuse to complete online incident reports; will not attend department briefings or school council meetings as well as refuse to participate in performance reviews, job interviews or rule on student expulsions. The PFWA has been in negotiations with the WA Government since October 2023, but is yet to be satisfied on wages and conditions.

Art by the comrades at the Workers Art Collective.

HSU WA/UWU - Healthcare workers

Healthcare workers, including allied health professionals and technicians, ward clerks, and disability and aged care workers, will hold a mass meeting today (1 May) as the next step in their campaign for a fair deal. As part of the WA Public Sector Alliance, public sector healthcare workers are also pursuing a 12% payrise over 2 years.  The HSU’s current agreement expires on June 30, and they have not ruled out industrial action if the government refuses to budge.

ANMF Vic - Public sector nurses and midwives

Hundreds of ANMF members attended a mass meeting yesterday and voted to commence protected industrial action next week. Initial action will include wearing campaign t-shirts, refusal to work overtime, talking about the campaign to patients, stopping work to post campaign messages on social media, administrative paperwork bans, and writing messages on work car windows. The ANMF have given the Allan government a deadline of 14 May for an improved offer to be reached. Another mass meeting will be held on 15 May to consider that offer, or to confirm an escalation of industrial action from 17 May that will include the closure of one in four beds, cancellation of one in four elective surgeries and stop-work meetings. 

RTBU - Keolis Downer Adelaide

The RTBU has come to an in-principle agreement with Keolis Downer Adelaide. The agreement will now be put to members to vote on. All industrial action, including the scheduled strike for 2 May has been suspended.  The in-principle agreement in a two year deal with a 5% pay rise in the first year, and 4% in the second with back pay to 1 January 2024.

UWU - Adelaide Remand Centre (Serco)

On Monday (29/4), Corrections Officers at the Adelaide Remand Centre took 24 hours strike action, and indicated further industrial action could be held as early as later this week. Workers are seeking a wage increase which would bring the average wage up to $31/hour - the industry standard. Short staffing, fuelled by low wages, is causing many safety issues at the Centre.

AWU/CEPU/AMWU - Wilmar Sugar 

Following a successful protected action ballot workers at Wilmar Sugar are preparing to take industrial action. Workers are seeking a 12% increase in the first year of a new agreement, 8% in the second and 5% in the third year (25% over 3 years). Wilmar has offered 13.75% over 4 years. Workers voted down a subpar agreement from the bosses last year, and are now in the strategically advantageous position of being able to line up industrial action with the peak “sugar crush” season. 

AMWU SA - Electrolux

Workers at Electrolux in Dudley Park walked off the job for the fourth time on Monday morning (29/4). As reported last week, workers are fighting for an 18% pay increase over 3 years, after not having a single increase since 2022. Interestingly, Electrolux is apparently the only home appliance company still manufacturing in Australia.

QTU - Queensland Public Schools

Public school teachers in Queensland will commence a week of work bans today as part of their “Valuing Our Profession” campaign.  Teachers are demanding the government “adopt a systemic strategy” to address both retention and attraction of teachers to “fill critical vacancies”. Teachers are also demanding the government stop implementing new “initiatives” without consulting the workforce.

HACSU Tasmania - Child Safety Services

I don’t have a lot of details, but Child Safety Support Officers in Hobart are holding a stop work meeting today. Workers are fighting back against chronic understaffing, poor working conditions and low wages. Any Tasmanians reading who know more - please get in touch!

AMOU/AIMPE -  Serco

As industrial action continues aboard the RSV Nuyina, the Australian government is having  to investigate alternative options for a resupply mission to Macquarie Island. While Serco & the Australian government both hope the dispute may resolve in time for the voyage in early May, vital equipment and supplies (including coffee!) need to get to both Macquarie Island and Antarctica. If Serco doesn’t make a reasonable offer to workers, the Defence Force may have to undertake smaller airdrops.

UWU - ICON Cancer Centres

Workers at ICON Cancer Centres commenced industrial action this week in pursuit of a fair pay deal. It is estimated workers at ICON earn 25-30% less than workers in the public sector. UWU members at ICON will be wearing union tshirts and handing out flyers in their workplaces as part of their industrial campaign.

CFMEU QLD/NT - CPB (Cross River Rail)

CFMEU members walked off CPB’s Cross River Rail job on Tuesday (30/4) in pursuit of fair wages and conditions.  The project has been riddled with safety concerns, and a sub-par AWU agreement has left workers underpaid and under-represented. The CFMEU delivered a log of claims to CPB demanding the introduction of a heat policy, a subcontractors clause to improve job security and the inclusion of traffic controllers and cleaners in the agreement, but CPB has yet to take any action.

ASU A&S Victoria - City of Ballarat

Workers at the City of Ballarat have voted up a protected action ballot. Bosses are expected to present a new offer today (1 May) and the union is holding a mass members meeting on Thursday to consider this offer, and vote on initiating industrial action (likely in the form of work bans).

May 1 - May Day

Happy May Day comrades! Today is International Workers’ Day. It’s our day! I am sharing the beautiful Walter Crane print “A Garland for May Day” and thinking about what I would include in my own version of a May Day Garland. There is still so much for workers to fight for. Hope you and your comrades can make some trouble for the bosses today!

In solidarity, Sarah