Industrial disputes & news - 29 May 2024

Transdev; WA public health workers; Wilmar sugar; Kone; ASC; Saputo; Victorian nurses & midwives; City of Ballarat; Ambulance Victoria; The Hobart Clinic; Victoria University; Transgrid; Asahi;

RTBU NSW - Transdev

Sydney’s light rail will stop from 8am - 10am and 4pm - 6pm today (29/5) due to industrial action. The EBA for workers expired in November, and negotiations stalled last week. Workers are seeking a fair pay increase and ensuring workers on all of Sydney’s light rail lines are paid the same wages. As well as stoppages, workers will refuse to wear uniforms and refused to check tickets yesterday.

HSU WA/UWU  - Public Sector Health workers

Public sector health workers in WA are taking 30 minutes of stop work action today. Members of HSU WA & UWU will rally at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre in their campaign for improved wages and conditions. As part of the WA Public Sector Alliance, public sector healthcare workers are pursuing a 12% payrise over 2 years.  The HSU’s current agreement expires on June 30.

AWU/ETU/AMWU QLD - Wilmar Sugar

A meeting between unions and Wilmar sugar bosses last Wednesday did not progress negotiations, with bosses arriving an hour late and not prepared to move on their current position. Workers continued strike action on Thursday and Friday with unions pledging to escalate industrial action. The unions then met with Wilmar at the FWC yesterday, and unions made a “peace” offering: reducing the initial wage claim of 28% to 18% over 3 years and dropping all other outstanding claims on the table, in exchange for one claim from each union being accepted. Wilmar rejected this offer, and will put their offer of 14.25% over 3.5 years to a vote of workers. With peak production time looming, Wilmar appears willing to risk mass disruption to the crush. More industrial action is scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

ETU QLD - Kone

Kone’s workforce on the Multiplex job at The Star Gold Coast have hit 14 days of industrial action. Workers are undertaking stoppages and bans over job security and a sub-contracting clause in their agreement.

AMWU SA/ETU - ASC (Australian Submarine Corporation)

Around 300 AMWU & ETU members at ASC in SA have been taking industrial action each day for the last three weeks resulting in ongoing stoppages. Workers are fighting for pay parity with WA workers who earn around 17% more than SA workers. A release by ASC says they presented a new offer to unions of “an average increase of 12% at the commencement of the agreement, with further opportunities for the employees to achieve additional increases through arbitration by the Fair Work Commission”. The AMWU responded by calling for the sacking of ASC CEO Stuart Whiley “who recently secured a 31% wage increase of $250,000”.

AMWU/CEPU Tasmania - Saputo

Workers at Saputo in Burnie continue their industrial action in pursuit of pay parity with their mainland colleagues. This means more cheese puns and social media content for everyone.

ANMF Vic - Public sector nurses & midwives

Following last week’s ANMF mass meeting that rejected an in-principle agreement brokered by union, nurses have continued “Stage 1” industrial action. The union has been conducting workplace meetings with job reps and members to discuss the outcomes of the mass meetings, answer questions and receive feedback. A campaign update on Monday disclosed that the union had met with the Treasurer, Health Minister, Department of Health and Industrial Relations Victoria. The union reports that it has “advised government that clarity on the dollar increases relating to salaries is required”. Daily intensive discussions resumed from Tuesday (28/5).  In an article in the Sunday Age, Lisa Fitzpatrick almost apologised for inferring members hadn’t “understood” the deal and said “We will do everything we can to regain the faith of those who say they have lost it.” The article shared the views of some disillusioned members, and alleged that some members were circulating CFMEU site allowance sheets at the mass meeting and asking why nurses weren’t paid as well as construction workers. Perhaps some nurses have been inspired by the CFMEU motto - “If you don’t fight, you lose!”

ASU A&S Vic - City of Ballarat

A union meeting was to be held with ASU members from the City of Ballarat yesterday (28/5) to discuss progress on the enterprise agreement negotiations and next steps in the protected industrial action campaign. I don’t have any update on this, and am having awful trouble accessing articles in The Courier. If anyone from Ballarat is reading… would love an update from the ground! I believe industrial action in the form of workbans is ongoing.

VAU/UWU - Ambulance Victoria

Ambos have been taking industrial action for 2 months, and will soon vote on escalating industrial action. On the weekend, the Herald Sun reported that there were rumours circulating that Ambulance Victoria was headed for administration (subsequently strenuously denied by the Health Minister). The article also referenced “leaks” from “disgruntled employees who say the organisation is in “chaos”.” Ambos have also expressed solidarity with their nursing comrades. Both groups of frontline health workers are fighting against the government’s 3% “wage policy”.

HACSU Tas - The Hobart Clinic

Earlier in the year the FWC suspended HACSU’s industrial action at The Hobart Clinic, a mental health facility, on the grounds that it could endanger the safety of patients. I’m still not sure how wearing a campaign tshirt or badge is a health risk, but HACSU’s camapign for a payrise and improved EBA for The Hobart Clinic’s nurses continues. The FWC has again thwarted organisers by decreeing that union reps can’t meet with their members at the nurses station, but instead must only meet in break rooms. Not sure if anyone from the FWC has spoken to a nurse recently, but breaks (sadly) are not always guaranteed! As HACSU State Secretary Robbie Moore points out - “If workers can’t even wear a badge, then what can they do?...The reality is the nurses are professionals – they would never do anything that jeopardised their patients.” HACSU is due to meet with The Hobart Clinic management again this week.

NTEU - Victoria University

It has been over a year since NTEU members at Victoria University presented their log of claims to management. Confronted with no meaningful progress in negotiating a new agreement, workers voted to participate in industrial action. Last Friday, (24/5) academic staff did not attend “Final Friday” meetings, and participated in a rally at Footscray Park. Professional staff participated in a workban on several online systems including Teams and Outlook. Industrial action will escalate next week with a teaching ban from Mon 3 June to Friday 7 June, with a 24 hour strike on Wednesday 5 June.

ETU NSW - Transgrid

Last week the NSW Government angered the ETU by giving Transgrid $3.2 million to “fund extra technical staff on grid connections to reduce the risk of delays”. The union has been in dispute with Transgrid for 4 months fighting for a fair pay rise for workers. ETU NSW Branch Secretary Allen Hicks said “The Minns Government, elected on the promise to battle against privatisation, is now recklessly shovelling money out the door to an electricity network that is entirely privately owned and sends the majority of its profits offshore. The NSW Government's actions are a stark betrayal of workers and public trust, and completely undermines the union's protected industrial action." On Friday (24/5), workers at Transgrid voted to escalate industrial action.

AMWU Victoria - Asahi

AMWU members at Asahi Selling Equipment Technical Team (soft drink machines) commenced protected industrial action last Wednesday (22/5). The union explained this means “no more completed works or call outs” to retailers including KFC and Hoyts. Yesterday, (28/5) the AMWU shared on social media that Asahi was cutting workers wages by 29% in response to the industrial action, and hiring temporary (scab) contractors to fill their roles. Shameful behaviour. Workers are fighting for a fair pay increase and to protect conditions in their EBA.

CFMEU Victoria/MUWU - Council workers

A report in the Herald Sun yesterday confirmed whispers that the CFMEU is taking proactive steps to sign up council workers in Victoria, who are usually covered by the ASU Authorities & Services Branch. John Setka was quoted in the Herald Sun saying “A lot of garbos, the blue collar workers, they are not getting serviced and they see their union as just happy clapping fucking future politicians who couldn’t give a fuck.” The ASU has launched a legal challenge against the CFMEU. This issue has been brewing for some time, with the CFMEU working with, and providing office space for MUWU (Municipal and Utilities Workers Union) since its establishment in 2019. It is understood MUWU is now winding up, and becoming officially part of the CFMEU. 

MUA Sydney - Wire Drawn Ferries

Finishing off this week’s report with a win! After industrial action and a long dispute, last Thursday (23/5) workers on Sydney’s wire-drawn ferries voted up their new EBA. The agreement includes a 23% wage increase upon commencement and a bunch of improvements to conditions. We love to see it! 

That’s all I’ve got this week! I’ve now been publishing this report for 6 whole months and I am both surprised (that I have managed to keep it up) and delighted (that so many people have subscribed and shared)! If you find this report at all useful, interesting or helpful - the most encouraging thing you can do is share it with a comrade. I am learning so much putting this together each week, and honestly just want to share that with as many comrades as I can. Thanks for reading!

In solidarity, Sarah