Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.

FEDERAL ALP IR CAUCUS VISITS MELBOURNE TRADES HALL

14 July 2008
By Brian Boyd, VTHC Secretary

Photos: VTHC Affiliated Unions
address Fed ALP IR Caucus
On the 14th July last key members of the federal ALP Members of Parliament Industrial Relations Caucus Committee visited the VTHC.  They were addressed by 15 VTHC affiliates about their concerns in relation to the ongoing operations of Howard’s IR laws and, in particular, what the new proposed Rudd IR legislation will look like.

 ALP IR Caucus chair, Mike Symon MHR, led the delegation that included Maria Vamvakinou MHR, Jacinta Collins, Victorian Senator and Gavin Marshall, Victorian Senator.

The affiliates that addressed the briefing included: MEAA, CMFEU-Mining Division, ANF, AEU, TCFUA, ASU-Private, ASU-Authorities, CPSU-PSU, CFMEU-Construction, CEPU-Telecommunications, CEPU-Postal, AMWU, CPSU-SPSF, MUA and UFU.

 Many issues were covered in the union presentations including, prohibited content, right of entry of union representatives and freedom of association; bad faith bargaining by employers compared with good faith bargaining; docking of a minimum of four hours pay for any industrial action, even if it’s a limitation, ban or stoppage that may have lasted for only 10 minutes; the need for a just and fair IR system overall; vastly improved unfair dismissal; ITEA’s often just as bad as AWA’s; ‘ ALP Forward with Fairness policy contains many problems as it stands; proposed powers of FWA not effective enough; need ability to have multi-business agreements; ability to take industrial action to pursue issues, no disadvantage test and certification need to be simple, practical and effective; use of restrictive building industry code in Telstra; federal government should become a model employer; abolish ABCC; also abolish so called ‘ fit and proper’ person test for permits for union officials; ban being made ‘redundant’ should not neutralise unfair dismissal rights and the misuse and abuse of current ‘operational reasons’ provisions. 

Most unions brought rank and file delegates from workplaces to underscore their arguments.

 The VTHC at the conclusion of affiliates submissions tabled its updated IR Claims document endorsed by a recent VTHC Executive Council.  The issues included: immediate abolition of the ABCC, no restrictions on content in collective agreements, improved right of entry, improved rights to industrial action, repeal of secondary boycott provisions, role of proposed FWA to include arbitration and improved transmission of business procedures.

The VTHC said it was in a prolonged campaign to lobby and campaign for the best new IR laws as soon as possible, based on the pre-federal election (November 07) promises that Howard’s IR laws would be scrapped.

 VTHC Secretary, Brian Boyd, said the formulation of the new substantive IR laws is the key issue facing the Australian trade union movement.

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