Winter Issue 2009 - cfmeu

U N I O N N E W S
with Kevin Reynolds
It’s time for entitlement/wages protection
We are pushing for workers to have
all their entitlements and wages
guaranteed in the event employers
go broke. We want an insurance type
scheme to cover this as part of union
collective agreements. We are out to
stop employers dipping into their
workers' entitlements, using them as
a loan.
For far too long worker’s have been
shafted when their employer goes
bust.
It is gut-wrenching to see long time
loyal employees who have devoted
their life to a company then get
absolutely zip, through no fault of
their own.
This form of social insurance would
be right up there with the likes of
Medicare and Superannuation as a
major social achievement in
providing workers with greater
protection and security,
especially in situations where
we have an economic
downturn.
We also have a view that
corporations laws should be
amended to put employee
entitlements, such as holiday
pay and superannuation, ahead
of unsecured creditors. Workers
should come before banks in
terms of getting paid.
Countries such as Germany, Denmark
and South Korea have similar systems in
place where a substantial
percentage of workers' wages
are guaranteed to cushion the
effects of job losses.
It’s early days yet, but the CFMEU has been at the forefront of public
policy changes and advancements to workplace conditions over the years
and we see no reason why this type of system cannot be achieved. Stay
tuned!
If the boss goes broke
workers should get paid!
WA IRC tosses out electoral case.
A retuning officer’s alleged provision of an electoral roll to candidates
in a union branch election was NOT an irregularity as defined under
the WA Industrial Relations Act, the Western Australian Industrial
Relations Commission has ruled.
Dismissing an application for an inquiry into the roll’s use in the
postponed CFMEUWA C&G state branch election, acting
Commission President Mark Ritter has found he had no jurisdiction
to hear the matter. The alleged irregularity did not fall within the scope
of S69 of the WA IR Act, Mr. Ritter found. Even if the matter was
covered, the allegations would almost certainly have been found
‘moot’ because a new election had been called, he found. The State
Election of the CFMEUWA C&G has since been held with the ballot
ending on June 19th.
Construction Worker – Winter 2009 Page 41
CFMEU