CFMMEU – Clark Cranes accident

A man has died, another is fighting for his life and a third has been injured in an industrial accident on the corner of Watts Street and Whitehorse Road in Box Hill.

The crane is owned by Clarke Cranes, the same company that was responsible for the incident in Richmond last month that required people be evacuated from their homes.

At around 12:20pm the concrete kibble (bucket) on the crane fell on the men after the lifting equipment failed. The kibble landed in a pit where the workers were standing.

Senior MICA Paramedic Gary Robertson confirmed one construction worker had died and another worker, who was pulled from the construction site, suffered multiple fractures and “extensive trauma. He is now fighting for his life in The Royal Melbourne Hospital.

This year seven construction workers have been killed at work in Victoria.

"Absolute tragic scenes on the construction site in Box Hill after a concrete kibble fell on several workers. Unconfirmed reports coming through of 1 fatality, another critical. Our thoughts are with all involved." - John Setka

Labor – NSW Liberals suffered a huge 30% swing

Yesterday in the Wagga Wagga by-election, the NSW Liberals suffered a huge 30% swing against them on primary votes.

Ms. Berejiklian and the Liberals have lost Wagga for the first time in 61 years.

This is the third biggest swing against a Government in NSW by-election history.

The by-election was held following revelations in ICAC relating to property developers, forcing Liberal Member for Wagga, Daryl Maguire to resign.

While counting continues in Wagga, it is very clear that the arrogant policies of the Liberals have been emphatically rejected.

❌ The Sydney stadium splurge,
❌ Cost blowouts and mismanagement on infrastructure projects,
❌ The gutting of TAFE and unemployment,
❌ The growing cost of living, including electricity and gas bills,
❌ The privatisation of hospitals and soaring hospital waiting lists,
❌ Forced council mergers,
❌ Overcrowding and underfunding our schools, and
❌ Falling academic standards.

Now, we need your help more than ever as we head into the 2019 NSW State Election and upcoming Federal Election.

Will you help by donating to our election fighting fund?

Under the Liberals and Nationals, the people of NSW continue to be taken for granted.

Help us send the Liberals and Nationals a message, that the people of NSW won't be taking for granted any longer.

Yours sincerely

Kaila Murnain
GENERAL SECRETARY

ACTU – O’Dwyer joins business in attack on leave rights

O’Dwyer joins business in attack on leave rights

New Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has continued her predecessor’s intervention in a major court case, supporting a multi-national employer trying to cut the number of the personal and carer’s leave days of people working shifts from 10 to eight.

 The decision in the case could affect millions of people working shifts throughout the country and funnel hundreds of millions of dollars of working people’s leave allowances into the pockets of big business owners.

 Minister O’Dwyer is siding with multinational food giant Mondelez in a Federal Court case that concerns the leave rights of people working at the Cadbury factor in Tasmania who work shifts longer than 9.6 hours. The case has the capacity to affect millions of people working shifts in Australia.

 The Fair Work Act specifies that people should receive 10 days personal and carers leave. But Mondelez and O’Dwyer will argue that that for those on 12-hour shifts should only get eight paid absences for personal or carers leave. The workers are being represented by their union, the AMWU.

 The Minister and the company will argue that an existing precedent from a Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission, supported by the Federal Court, is wrong.

 The case is expected to be heard by the full Federal Court.

 Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

• “One of Kelly O’Dwyer’s first acts as Industrial Relations Minister has been to support a multi-national company’s attack on workers’ rights that could see millions of people working shifts have their personal and carers’ leave entitlements drastically cut.”
• “Whether it is cutting penalty rates, keeping wage growth at record lows or undermining basic rights like sick leave and carers’ leave this government knows only one way – back in the big end of town.
• “When the Fair Work Act says 10 days personal leave, it means 10 days. But Kelly O’Dwyer is spending taxpayers’ money to back big business and undermine workers’ interests.”

ACTU – Equal pay day a reminder of the persistent gender pay gap

31 August 2018

Statement from ACTU President Michele O’Neil:

Today is Equal Pay Day, the day which marks the end of the 62 additional days women workers need to work after the end of the financial year to earn as much as men in Australia.

It’s a stark reminder of the work which still needs to be done to close the gender pay gap.

Unions have always been at the forefront of fight for equal pay. Our current campaigns for 10 days paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave, flexible work arrangements for people with caring responsibilities, casual conversion, expanded parental leave, and changes to superannuation including paying super to people who are on parental leave are all targeted to close the gender pay gap.

The gender pay gap exists because we have workplace rules and a culture which values work traditionally done by women less than that done by men, and structures which make it hard for women to stay in work while dealing with the caring responsibilities that our society continues to expect them to shoulder.

We can and must do more to close the gender pay gap, and change the rules for working women.

Fix Bargaining For Better Pay: IMF

31 August 2018

Research by the International Monetary Fund has revealed that the erosion of people’s rights in the workplace has led to less pay for workers.

The International Monetary Fund research that shows that measures that have taken power away from working people in favour of big business have hurt take-home pay packets between 1970 and 2015.

It is the first time that the IMF has acknowledged the effect of policies that take rights from working people on pay and wages.

Research released last month by the Centre For Future Work revealed that the erosion of rights for working people and the resulting power imbalance with big business is costing working people in Australia more than $16,000 each.

The Centre For Future Work revealed that that the decline of the labour share of GDP since 1975 is costing every working Australian $16,800 per year on average.

Trend could be reversed by restoring the rights of working people and allowing multi-employer bargaining, where people can negotiate fair pay and more secure jobs across more than one employer.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

• “When big business undermines workers’ rights and governments give even more power to big business, to the system becomes unbalanced and workers’ pay goes down.
• “The cost of that power imbalance to someone working full-time in Australia is about $16,000 a year.
• “With electricity prices, housing, childcare, transport and health insurance premiums rising much faster than pay, working people need every cent of that $16,000 a year.
• “We need to change the rules so that working people get our fair share of the wealth we produce. Right now big business has too much power and corporate bosses and wealthy shareholders are taking more for themselves and leaving us struggling.
• “But there are clear solutions to restore the balance. We need to adopt the bargaining system that operates across most of the developed world.
• “Working people need the ability to negotiate across sectors and industries and win the pay rises they need.”