The unions arent interested in boosting productivity. All they are interested in is receiving gargantuan pay hikes for doing as little as possible. These days the quickest route to the unemployment line is to be a member of a union. #auspol #BSWNBPM #sameoldlabor #springst #unioncorruption - BHP Billiton has urged the Senate to pass the government’s proposed restrictions on unions entering workplaces, warning that union conduct is diverting resources from production and hampering the mining giant’s ability to improve its key coal operations. Reflecting the corporate sector’s frustration at the government’s failure to get any of its workplace policy changes through parliament, BHP’s coal boss, Dean Dalla Valle, said aspects of the current federal workplace laws were “creating significant barriers” to the company’s attempts to foster a productive workforce. Writing in The Australian today, Mr Dalla Valle says the company’s coal operations are embroiled in 75 disputes with the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union and calls for the Senate to pass the Fair Work Amendment bill to ensure right-of-entry changes introduced by Labor are overturned. The prospects of the government attracting sufficient support from Senate crossbenchers appears slim, with South Australian independent Nick Xenophon stating yesterday he could not support the bill in its current form and fellow crossbencher John Madigan expressing “great concerns”. Senators Bob Day and David Leyonhjelm expressed broad support for the changes but have sought amendments in relation to greenfields projects and the right to request leave respectively. Labor and unions oppose the bill, which includes fresh restrictions on unions entering workplaces and the unwinding of changes by the Rudd and Gillard governments that made meal rooms the default meeting place for union visits. Employment Minister Eric Abetz last night defended the changes but his office revealed the government would not bring on a Senate vote on the bill until next year. Mr Dalla Valle, who will move to be the head of BHP’s marketing, health, safety and environment in January, says the government changes will not erode the reasonable rights of workers and union representatives “but would curtail deliberately disruptive activities of some unions on mine sites’’. He says the company’s concerns that the current laws will divert resources from production by requiring the escorting of union officials around sites, and that employees will be subjected to union discussions when they preferred privacy, have become reality. He says one of the company’s Queensland coalmines has received a right-of-entry request from the CFMEU to hold “uninvited discussions” with employees working on draglines, which are 15-storey tall pieces of mining equipment used to uncover mineable coal. “This request for the CFMEU to meet the two operators in the cabin of the dragline would require the dragline to be stopped to ensure the safety of employees, resulting in a substantial operational impact,” he says. “Every hour a dragline is shut down is a significant cost and loss of productivity. Despite being offered an alternative venue close by, the CFMEU has taken the matter to the Fair Work Commission to press its claim to meet in the dragline cabin itself. “This dispute, one of around 75 disputes between the CFMEU and our coal operations, is ongoing and a typical example of the distraction and impact to our operations that we face daily. “For these reasons, we believe it is important for the Senate to pass the Fair Work Amendment bill. In doing so, senators will be sending a strong signal of support for employers making productivity gains at a challenging time to ultimately improve Australia’s competitiveness — not only for our shareholders and employees but for all Australians.’’ Andrew Vickers, the general secretary of the CFMEU’s mining and energy division, rejected the claims, denying the dragline had to be stopped for the union discussions to occur. He said the union representatives were former mine workers and did not need to be escorted as they were aware of their responsibilities when on site. Mr Vickers said managers and supervisors were escorting officials because they wanted to “earwig on the discussions”. ACTU assistant secretary Tim Lyons said the BHP complaints were consistent with a “histrionic series of claims by the resources sector’’ that were unable to be supported by evidence. Mr Lyons said the government’s changes were designed to prevent workers from having conversations during their meal break with their union representative. Senator Abetz said the bill included “sensible and common sense” changes. “The government clearly has a mandate for this legislation, which was announced in the Coalition’s policy 18 months ago and first introduced to parliament 12 months ago,’’ he said. Opposition workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor said Labor expected “anyone afforded the right to enter a workplace to act properly at all times”. “But let’s remember all Australian workers deserve the right to access independent advice and advocacy at their workplace,’’ he said. “This bill goes well beyond the regulations of entering workplaces; it goes to, for example exposing workers to unfair individual agreements that are open to abuse by unscrupulous employers.” The government yesterday introduced further workplace changes into the House of Representatives, including a proposal for the Fair Work Commission to require workers and management to consider productivity improvements when bargaining for new enterprise agreements.- theaustralian.au/national-affairs/industrial-relations/bhp-billiton-push-to-keep-out-unions/story-fn59noo3-1227137599126
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 20:45:25 +0000
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