Emboldened unions pushing boundaries

QANTAS may be taking the industrial relations spotlight but air travellers aren’t alone in having to deal with growing union activity throughout Western Australia.

In the state’s north, unions have been revitalised by the Fair Work Act and the end of employment agreements signed before Labor took power in 2007.

The most affected areas so far have been in the maritime and offshore construction fields, both highly unionised like the airline industry, which have experienced significant industrial problems this year. 

A common theme across industrial relations is the use of overtime bans and stop-work meetings to unsettle workplaces during negotiations.

“The break-down of the bargaining process between Qantas and the various unions representing its employees is just one high-profile example of many disputes that are under way,” Australian Mines & Metals Association director Minna Knight said.

“Our research is telling us that a number of unions are no longer approaching the bargaining process as a way to negotiate wage increases and benefits in exchange for productivity improvements and other favourable outcomes for both employers and employees.

 “Rather, in many cases bargaining is becoming a tool for some unions to pursue their own interests and pressure employers into accepting conditions that are not in the interests of building the competitiveness and success of Australian workplaces.”

While most companies will not talk about their specific circumstances, listed group Mermaid Marine has been advising the market since July of continual action during negotiations with the Maritime Union of Australia.

In statements since July 27 it has revealed on-again, off-again bans on overtime and work stoppages relating to 30 Dampier employees.

Mermaid said the MUA had rejected an offer to pay the relevant workers $191,000 per year, including a rental allowance that would have equated to $59,000 a year before tax.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA industrial relations policy manager Marcia Kuhne said this pattern of behaviour was becoming more obvious in workplaces across the state’s industrial relations spectrum.

“We are seeing more confident unions,” Ms Kuhne said, predicting more industrial unrest next year when labour shortages are expected to become more severe.

“They are putting in claims for longer agreements with more provisions and more protracted negotiation.”

Tactically, this involved more nuisance level activity such as stop work meetings and overtime bans, which cause uncertainty for employers.

Furthermore, Ms Kuhne said unions were increasingly pushing for broader agreements with clauses that gave them more access to the workplace and other beneficial provisions.

“They are trying to put themselves back in the picture,” she said.