The MUA has given notice of a four-hour protected stoppage next week at the Port of Melbourne's "robo-terminal", amid an escalating struggle over work arrangements.
MUA members have overwhelmingly endorsed protected industrial action at the Port of Melbourne's "robo-terminal", as the union seeks to drag the automated stevedore towards more traditional industry working arrangements.
While union members tend to drive decisions to apply for pre-strike ballot orders and take protected action, the voting itself is less democratic, according to a book exploring how the regulatory environment can compromise democratic processes.
The CFMMEU's manufacturing division has defended a claim for annual pay rises of 4% at a major Melbourne packaging plant, arguing the business has boomed during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The CFMMEU construction and general division's NSW branch has warned sub-contractors that have signed its new pattern agreement they face being reported to the ABCC unless they switch to a nine-day fortnight from December 1.
The FWC will on Saturday hear an application by DP World to terminate industrial action at its Port Botany container terminal, with the stevedore claiming that new bans on performing work by operating equipment at the "slowest possible safe speed" will effectively create a "permanent go-slow".
Employees at three Officeworks' distribution centres in NSW and Victoria plan a 24-hour strike on Monday over what they say is a low-ball offer from management on a new enterprise agreement despite booming sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
International shipowners and shipping lines have warned governments around the country that protected industrial action by the MUA targeting individual ships could halt the flow of vital goods and threaten businesses and jobs in the logistics sector.
Hutchison Ports has won an extended five-day notice period for industrial action after failing to do so last year, winning a ruling that the coronavirus pandemic has tipped the balance and created exceptional circumstances.
The Federal Circuit Court has held that an employer was obliged to dock four hours' pay from workers attending a lunchtime talk on asbestos that ran 45 minutes over time, noting a supervisor who considered it "unremarkable" had no authority to extend the meeting.