The offer to postpone protected action if Patrick confirmed its commitment to place an offer on the table was put to the company over seven days ago (Thursday 20th January).
Despite the genuine offer to put in place a circuit breaker to operational disruption Patrick refused to engage, which has left the MUA with no option other than to go ahead with planned protected action.
MUA Assistant National Secretary Ian Bray said despite seven months of negotiating and the members culling their claims, Patrick have still not put an offer on the table.
"After much discussion and frustration, our members at Fremantle, Albany applied for a ballot hearing to take protected industrial action," he said.
"In all cases the ballot hearings were successful and members voted in support of taking protected action with 98% support.
"This round of negotiations has been about addressing the issues that are important to our members.
"These include fixing safety on the waterfront, fixing job security, fixing casualisation which is currently running at 60% nationally in Patrick B&G, fixing start times, and fixing the management's bullying, harassment and intimidation that is rife in our workplaces."
Mr Bray noted that the majority of claims the union was seeking to address have no costs associated with them.
"Patrick B&G currently have a Work Choices agreement and we are determined to see off the Howard era agreements that encouraged employers to treat workers with little or no dignity and respect," he said.
"Four ports that have had ballots for protected action conducted have all taken industrial action over the last four weeks and will continue to do so until the company get serious about putting an offer on the table.
"Our claims also seek to address the abysmal safety record on the waterfront and we are justified in taking this stance as three deaths in the last year show."
Monday, January 31, 2011
Davos: Unions warn of unrest
A leading trade unionist attending the World Economic Forum in Davos has warned that the current wave of social unrest roiling north Africa may spread to Europe unless governments get to grips with rising joblessness.
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual elite gathering at the weekend UNI global union secretary-general Philip Jennings observed that the frustration born of chronic unemployment was one of the main drivers behind the uprising that unseated former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Mr Jennings said that with unemployment rates averaging around 10 per cent in European Union member states governments should reconsider their "socially unacceptable" austerity policies and form a new social contract with workers.
"The financial and business elite have acted like a huge suction pump and taken a great deal of wealth being produced. The middle class is shrinking into a rump, while a plutocracy at the top are cut off in their own countries," he noted.
“The G20 priority must be jobs. We need inclusive growth and fairness to push up the share of wages as a share of income,” Jennings said. “Sarkozy needs to find his jobs mojo for the G20 process.”
He said that there should be a new bargain and unions should have the ability to push up the share of wages through collective bargaining.
"Every worker should have an adequate social protection floor,” he said. “This is affordable. We need active labour market policies."
Jennings was surprised to hear a private equity spokesperson singing the praises of the worker representation on supervisory boards in Germany, which he said helped companies make better decisions.
He said that it was unacceptable that in the last 20 years in the US, 56 percent of all income gains went to the top 1 percent of wealthy Americans, and more than a third went to the top one-tenth of one percent.
"The Western economic model that we’ve seen of this reliance on the market has failed. We need a new inclusive model of economic development," Jennings said. “It is unsustainable."
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| Philip Jennings: UNI global union |
Mr Jennings said that with unemployment rates averaging around 10 per cent in European Union member states governments should reconsider their "socially unacceptable" austerity policies and form a new social contract with workers.
"The financial and business elite have acted like a huge suction pump and taken a great deal of wealth being produced. The middle class is shrinking into a rump, while a plutocracy at the top are cut off in their own countries," he noted.
“The G20 priority must be jobs. We need inclusive growth and fairness to push up the share of wages as a share of income,” Jennings said. “Sarkozy needs to find his jobs mojo for the G20 process.”
He said that there should be a new bargain and unions should have the ability to push up the share of wages through collective bargaining.
"Every worker should have an adequate social protection floor,” he said. “This is affordable. We need active labour market policies."
Jennings was surprised to hear a private equity spokesperson singing the praises of the worker representation on supervisory boards in Germany, which he said helped companies make better decisions.
He said that it was unacceptable that in the last 20 years in the US, 56 percent of all income gains went to the top 1 percent of wealthy Americans, and more than a third went to the top one-tenth of one percent.
"The Western economic model that we’ve seen of this reliance on the market has failed. We need a new inclusive model of economic development," Jennings said. “It is unsustainable."
Sunday, January 30, 2011
ACTU: Flood levy is fair
27 January, 2011 | ACTU Media Release
A progressive one-off levy exempting flood victims and the majority of workers to help cover the $5.6 billion cost of this summer's devastating floods and maintain existing Government policy priorities is only fair says ACTU President Ged Kearney.
The levy of 0.5 per cent will be applied from July 1 on taxable income between $50,001 and $100,000, and 1 per cent on incomes above $100,000.
The majority of workers (approximately 60%), including a large proportion of part time workers and those on low incomes will not have to pay the levy at all, said Ms Kearney.
“Up to 60% of workers will pay no levy at all. Those with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 a year will pay a 0.5% levy on their marginal income, or up to $250.
“Less than 10% of workers will pay the higher rate of 1% on income above $100,000 a year.
“Considering the massive rebuilding effort that is now required it is only fair that those with the capacity to contribute are asked to pay a one-off levy. A progressive levy that exempts low income workers is one of the options the ACTU has been urging the Government consider.
A progressive one-off levy exempting flood victims and the majority of workers to help cover the $5.6 billion cost of this summer's devastating floods and maintain existing Government policy priorities is only fair says ACTU President Ged Kearney.
The levy of 0.5 per cent will be applied from July 1 on taxable income between $50,001 and $100,000, and 1 per cent on incomes above $100,000.
The majority of workers (approximately 60%), including a large proportion of part time workers and those on low incomes will not have to pay the levy at all, said Ms Kearney.
“Up to 60% of workers will pay no levy at all. Those with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 a year will pay a 0.5% levy on their marginal income, or up to $250.
“Less than 10% of workers will pay the higher rate of 1% on income above $100,000 a year.
“Considering the massive rebuilding effort that is now required it is only fair that those with the capacity to contribute are asked to pay a one-off levy. A progressive levy that exempts low income workers is one of the options the ACTU has been urging the Government consider.
NSW power inquiry disgrace
The NSW power inquiry's decision to seek arrest warrants for the energy directors who resigned over the government's controversial privatisation plan in December is a disgrace, according to former Eraring director Tony Maher.
Mr Maher has applauded the common sense of NSW Upper House President Amanda Fazio, who declined the committee's request, but said she never should have been put in that position in the first place.
"This parliamentary committee has completely lost the plot," he said.
"The directors who stood down in December over Eric Roozendaal's power privatisation plan did so out of principle and responsibility. For the committee to treat them like suspects on the run is unconscionable.
"The directors would be more than willing to answer questions before a proper inquiry -but this isn't one.
"Because the Premier prorogued Parliament before the committee convened, there is no guarantee that witnesses appearing before it are entitled to parliamentary privilege. That means the NSW Government could potentially sue any board members for their answers. That's why we declined the initial invitation and the committee knows it.
"If we appeared at the inquiry we'd be the only witnesses in the history of the NSW Parliament to appear without legal indemnity. We are eager to cast light on what happened in December, but the proper protections need to be in place."
Mr Maher, who is also the National President of the CFMEU, said it was difficult to see what could be behind the committee's bizarre request.
"The only possible motivation I can see is political grandstanding - a chance for some headlines and drama at the cost of basic decency." he said.
Luckily, Amanda Fazio knocked this stupid request on the head quickly, but if she hadn't, the directors and their families could have spent days anticipating a knock on the door from police.
"Good and responsible people simply don't do this to other good and responsible people. The committee members who decided on this course of action need to take a good hard look at themselves and think about what they were actually trying to achieve."
Mr Maher has applauded the common sense of NSW Upper House President Amanda Fazio, who declined the committee's request, but said she never should have been put in that position in the first place.
"This parliamentary committee has completely lost the plot," he said.
"The directors who stood down in December over Eric Roozendaal's power privatisation plan did so out of principle and responsibility. For the committee to treat them like suspects on the run is unconscionable.
"The directors would be more than willing to answer questions before a proper inquiry -but this isn't one.
"Because the Premier prorogued Parliament before the committee convened, there is no guarantee that witnesses appearing before it are entitled to parliamentary privilege. That means the NSW Government could potentially sue any board members for their answers. That's why we declined the initial invitation and the committee knows it.
"If we appeared at the inquiry we'd be the only witnesses in the history of the NSW Parliament to appear without legal indemnity. We are eager to cast light on what happened in December, but the proper protections need to be in place."
Mr Maher, who is also the National President of the CFMEU, said it was difficult to see what could be behind the committee's bizarre request.
"The only possible motivation I can see is political grandstanding - a chance for some headlines and drama at the cost of basic decency." he said.
Luckily, Amanda Fazio knocked this stupid request on the head quickly, but if she hadn't, the directors and their families could have spent days anticipating a knock on the door from police.
"Good and responsible people simply don't do this to other good and responsible people. The committee members who decided on this course of action need to take a good hard look at themselves and think about what they were actually trying to achieve."
Arab Freedom Anthem
Stephan Said- ARAB FREEDOM ANTHEM
Stephan Said "Aheb Eisht Al Hurriyeh," (I Love the Life of Freedom) just released to be used freely by all those who are working to build the international movement for a more just society. This is our moment! Share the video and mp3, We want to live in freedom! Words by Egyptian poet-laureate Ahmed Shawki, first put to music in the 1930's by great Egyptian composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab. This is produced by Grammy Winning producer Hal Willner. Video directed by Matt Kohn
Stephan Said is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual musician, global activist, and spokesperson. His sound fuses pop, rock, hip-hop, and world folk musics with a border-breaking message of unity. Said first rose to global renown as the 'troubadour of the Altermondialist (next world) movement when his antiwar song "The Bell," became "the first major song against the war in Iraq," pioneering the use of mp3's and music videos for social change for the internet generation. Stephan is American, his father is Iraqi and his mother Austrian.
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