Thursday 17 July 2014
Weekly Update No. 23/2014
From AWU Victorian Secretary Ben Davis
Dear Member
One of the things about disputes is that they all get settled in the end, one way or another. This is certainly the case with Enterprise Agreement (EA) negotiations which sometimes drag on in order for a fair deal to be achieved.
I want to congratulate the negotiating team at Southern Metropolitan Cemetery Trust and Organiser Adrian Colebrook, who this week settled a new agreement after almost two years of hard-fought negotiations.
The outcome includes 12% in increases over three years with backpay to 2 April, a sign-on bonus, a better deal for members working at the smaller cemeteries, a fairer system of giving notice to work, and a trade-off on RDOs which will see five extra days off a year without any extra time worked.
Shell campaign continues
Our members at the Shell Refinery at Geelong have been negotiating a new EA for the past seven months, with the main sticking point being the inclusion of redundancy provisions which are currently subject to company policy.
The impending sale to Vitol adds another degree of difficulty to the situation for our members, who are facing an unknown future with a new employer.
Shell has not been exactly vigorous in its desire to reach an agreement and protected action was notified. Our members withdrew that action so that the matter could go to Fair Work Commission conciliation tomorrow.
This is yet another demonstration, if we needed it, that conditions of work, redundancy provisions in particular, should be included in EAs and not left to the vagaries of corporate policy.
If this matter is not resolved, industrial action will be back on the agenda next week.
Victory on visas
I’m pleased to report that the Abbott Government has failed in its bid to introduce a new visa which would allow foreign workers onto offshore oil and gas projects on inferior wages and conditions to local workers.
The move would have made it open slather for the resource moguls to find those who are prepared to work for less money “and glad of it” as we’ve heard from mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.
This is an important line in the sand for workers and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is to be congratulated for leading the charge that saw the Senate knock back this dangerous move. Click here to read more about this important victory.
Our oldest member
If you are part of the AWU Victorian Branch on Facebook, you’ve probably read a little of Alan Carter who, in an organisation of equals, is a very special character indeed.
Alan broke my heart by sending in an email saying he wanted to resign from the union. I take these things very seriously indeed and went in search of details about his membership. I decided not to be too offended. He was about to turn 102, fittingly on the 4th of July.
I thought his marathon membership of 61 years, first with the Australasian Society Engineers later to be amalgamated with the AWU, deserved the recognition of our Certificate of Appreciation for his services to the union over a long period.
Great to meet him
When I met Alan this week, I was very glad that I had. He’s a bloke who gives you heart. He reminded me of the sort of Australia we are fighting for, one where effort is rewarded, and opportunity can be seized.
He is certainly on the ball, as is his 97-year old brother Ron, and presumably the 90-year old sister who was playing golf when I visited the residential centre they all call home these days.
During the Depression years, Alan moved from Adelaide to Melbourne on the promise of a job and never looked back. He sent for his brother Ron to share his good fortune, and the younger sibling was thrilled to be able to join a tennis club after years of knocking a ball around the back yard. He went on to coach tennis until not too many years ago.
I think most of us would be pretty pleased to have lived so well and to remain so healthy in old age; that’s the core of what we are struggling to maintain.
It’s not goodbye Bob Hiatt
I was up in the Grampians last week at Cavendish to be part of the farewell for one of this state’s unsung heroes, Bob Hiatt, who was retiring after 45 years with DEPI (previously DSE and many other names before it).
Bob is one of those men and women in green overalls, public sector firefighters and guardians of the bush who protect, conserve and regenerate the public estate. I think it is safe to say he is part of a group that is massively under-appreciated by the general population and successive governments alike.
He has been a Delegate for 35 of the 45 years he’s been an AWU member. He has fought the good fight for his colleagues through many a campaign. We’re going to miss him.
Bendigo calling
All Delegates and HSRs play a vital role in the life of the AWU. They are often described as the lifeblood of this union, and I can only agree with that label. Nowhere are they more important than in the regions.
There is an excellent training opportunity coming up with the Delegates One course running on 11, 12 and 13 August at Bendigo Trades Hall.
If you are a Delegate anywhere in Central Victoria, and you haven’t done your training then this is a chance to get on board. You can ring us on 03 8327 0888 or write to
White Ribbon Night
The AWU supports the White Ribbon movement in its quest for an end to violence against women. Again this year on White Ribbon Day (25 November) our members at worksites around the state will take the oath “never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women”.
White Ribbon Night is coming up next Friday (25 July) and it’s another opportunity to pause and consider this important campaign. You can click here to find out more about organising something to raise awareness and funds.
The bad news for women
We all know that women lag behind men in average weekly earnings. It is a disgrace and can’t be masked by the fact of some success stories at the top of the tree. The average worker is suffering if they happen to be female.
Women in full-time work on average earn 17% less than men, which is about $1 million less during a career. This week Oxfam released a report describing the inequality in a new way by predicting that across the developed world it will be 75 years until women have parity with men. The report was accompanied by a call for income equality to be on the G20 agenda.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick put it well this week when she said the issue was not “fixing” women. “We need male leaders to step up within their organisations and at a national level to advocate for change,” she said.
Good to hear
The Victorian WorkCover Authority has released figures showing that farm injuries are at a 10-year low with a significant drop in claims. There were 14% less claims last year than in 2012.
This is good news if it reflects the real situation out there, and I certainly hope it does. I should remind all our members that quadbikes remain a concern and should not be operated without a crash protection device (CPD) in place.
Quadbikes are the major killer of adults on farms in Australia, claiming the life of one farm worker every month.
A couple of things
This is National Diabetes Week and it is startling to read that 58% of cases of type-2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed by awareness and action. Early detection and lifestyle modification are the keys to helping yourself.
The Victorian Trades Hall Council has a choir which many of you will have heard at various events over the years, particularly on Workers’ Memorial Day. Right at the moment the group is looking for support for a crowd-funding project. They want to go on tour and they want to pay stage crew properly for their efforts. It’s a good cause. You can click here to find out more by going to the choir’s Facebook page.
Please keep writing
I look forward to reading your emails each week, so please do keep writing to me. You can reach me at and I will respond to you as quickly as possible.
If you know someone who hasn’t given us their latest email address and mobile number give them a nudge and get them to go to our website and update their details there, or phone 1300 362 298 (from anywhere in the state for the price of a local call).
Stay in touch, stay safe, and remember, we are always Stronger Together.