Industrial disputes & news - 13 December 2023
Gold Coast bus drivers; Vline; ATO; BHP; NSW Paramedics; Vicpol; NSW Special Constables; BAE Systems; DP World; Virgin; Gold Coast trams; Organisers at UWU; Cleanaway; University of Melbourne;
TWU - Gold Coast & Logan City Bus Drivers
Bus drivers on the Gold Coast and in Logan are still refusing the collect fares as part of their industrial action for a better deal. I believe this has been going on for over a month! Solidarity to these workers!
RTBU - Vline
Workers at the RTBU (excluding train drivers) took industrial action this morning (13/12) from 3am - 7am. This is likely to cause ongoing disruptions throughout the day. Workers are seeking a deal comparable to what workers at Metro got earlier in the year.
ASU - ATO
The ASU Tax Officers’ Branch is not happy about the CPSU accepting the government’s public service pay offer, and are now polling members as to whether they should attempt a “no” vote. Stay tuned…
CSO - BHP
Mine supervisors (members of the Colleries Staff and Officials Association) are voting on taking industrial action that could shut down 70% of BHP mines in QLD. The ballot closes on 20 December. Workers are fighting for improvements on redundancy & accident pay and consultation over roster changes. #ausunions
HSU NSW - Paramedics
The HSU has challenged the Minns government to meet with them today for emergency talks to work on a pay deal for paramedics. A hearing yesterday in the NSW IRC may have ruled on whether individual paramedics not renewing their registration amounts to industrial action. More to come I imagine!
Cops - Vicpol & NSW Special Constables.
Police in Victoria continue their industrial action by chalking messages on cars and making speed cameras obvious. NSW Special Constables (PSANSW members) who guard Parliament and NSW politicians are also considering taking industrial action over their pay.
ETU/MUA/AMWU - BAE Systems
MUA & AMWU members at BAE Systems’ Henderson facility have voted yes to protected action. This follows earlier industrial action by ETU members. The EBA expired in September, & negotiations have been going on for 6 months. The workers are seeking pay rises of 9% in the first year, and 5% in the next 2 years.
It is worth noting that BAE systems is a multinational defence contractor - the 7th largest in the world. It would appear the majority of work undertaken at the Henderson facility is for commercial ships and supporting offshore gas and mining projects. However they do undertake refit and repairs work for the Australian Navy, and have undertaken urgent repairs for the US Navy. BAE Systems does supply the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) with key components of fighter jets, munitions, armoured vehicles and missile launching kits. Trade Unionists elsewhere in the world have picketed BAE Systems as a response to the ongoing atrocities being committed by Israel in Gaza.
MUA - DP World
MUA and DP World completed 6 days of facilitated bargaining sessions at the FWC last week. DP World then applied for a “cooling-off period of 90 days” to cease industrial action which was denied by the FWC. The MUA has announced industrial action will continue until at least 23 December.
TWU - Virgin
Billionaire Richard Branson has made inflammatory claims about Virgin cabin crew taking industrial action: “very quickly the same thing that happened to Ansett could happen to Virgin Australia.” Workers want further action on rostering to prevent fatigue. Negotiations will resume in the FWC today.
RTBU - Gold Coast trams
Workers on the Gold Coast trams are voting on taking protected industrial action. The dispute is centred on pay, with the union fighting for a pay increase that keeps up with the cost of living.
UWU - Organisers
2 organisers at UWU who were dismissed after encouraging co-workers to sign a majority support petition (in order to initiate bargaining at UWU) have failed to get the Federal Court to intervene. UWU claims the organisers had contravened policy & breached employment contracts.
TWU - Cleanaway
The dispute between the TWU and Cleanaway (a waste management company) continues. The TWU appeared in the FWC this week to try and get its two applications for intractable bargaining declarations at 2 Cleanaway depots heard in tandem. No update on this yet, but spare a thought for the workers in this long running dispute.
NTEU - University of Melbourne
Following industrial action, including a week long strike, the bargaining team at the University of Melbourne have recommended the current EBA proposal be accepted. It will now go to forums and a branch meeting in February for members to decide. More details here.
As Gaza continues to be bombarded, workers, here and abroad, are organising.
That’s all I’ve got this week comrades. Leave a comment, or send me a message if there’s anything I’ve missed that you want to share.
In solidarity, Sarah