Two weeks after locking workers out of its Sydney depot, global logistics giant FedEx has become the last of the country's major transport companies to reach agreement on a new deal with the TWU.
The National Farmers' Federation has called on the Federal Government to refer maritime industrial disputes straight to the FWC for arbitration, as one of several moves to improve international freight supply chains.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged to intervene if the MUA resumes protected strikes at Patrick stevedores this month, while taking longer-term action on restrictive content imposed by the union in enterprise agreements.
In a significant ruling reinforcing the need for strict adherence to strike laws, the CFMMEU has failed to overturn a finding that an employer rightly deducted 12 hours' pay from mineworkers who took a total of about 30 minutes across three days to secure their machinery in preparation for protected action.
The UWU says it has reached an in-principle deal with the Toll group on new three-year agreements for seven warehouses that provide 3% annual pay rises and a minimum starter rate of $25 an hour.
The Toll Group has applied for the FWC to intervene in a bargaining dispute that has expanded to include indefinite strikes by UWU members at seven warehouses across three states.
Major stevedore Patrick has withdrawn its application to terminate industrial action at its container terminals after the MUA agreed that no further action would be notified before December 10.
Patrick Terminals has on the basis of a claimed threat to the national economy applied to terminate industrial action by MUA members at its four container terminals, increasing pressure on the union to reach a new enterprise agreement.
The MUA has accused Patrick of "bullying" after the stevedore yesterday applied to the FWC to terminate its nominally-expired union deal to break a 20-month bargaining deadlock amid a round of strikes at its container terminals in four states.
The TWU says it has reached in-principle agreements with four more big trucking and logistics companies as it continues campaigning against "Amazon-driven" outsourcing, while warning three remaining targets they face strikes this week.
