Manufacturing Matters - September 2013

7/27/2019 Manufacturing Matters - September 2013

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September 2013

More than 350 community and Blue Collar

Alliance members blocked the entrances

to parliament to alert the politicians to the

affects of FLNG platforms on Australian

manufacturing jobs.

Floating LNG is flat-out economic vandalism.

It cuts out any opportunity for West Australianworkers and business to benefit from the

natural resources we all own, said AMWU

State Secretary Steve McCartney.

Attending the protests in support of the

AMWU were the CFMEU, MUA and the ETU.

The blockade successfully turned away MPs

and Ministers in their chauffer driven cars.

This was to show them what it feels like for

our members when they turn up for work only

to be told sorry, your workplace has been

shut down.

Multinational companies have been planningto take processing plants offshore, to make

it easier to employ overseas workers, costing

Australian jobs and skills, according to Mr

McCartney.

Woodside and Shells decision to abandononshore processing will cost thousandsof Australian jobs, the opportunity todevelop skills and most importantlythe opportunity for WesternAustralia to break into the globalLNG supply chain.

Employing cheap overseas workerswill save these companies millions ofdollars in wages. But the short-termgoals of these companies are going toleave long-term consequences for WA jobs.

Our natural gas resources should bedeveloped in line with Western Australiaslong-term interests, not at the convenienceof foreign companies. Chevron and Shelljust dont care as long as they appease theirshareholders, said Mr McCartney.

Unions are the only people thinking of

Western Australias long-term futurewe should be putting WA on a long-termsustainable footing, starting with banningFLNGs when the gas could and should bebrought onshore.

FLNG Update

Since the rally, Woodside has officially

announced that it will proceed with plans

to use FLNG technology to process gas

offshore from the Browse Basin.

The gas giant has also officially shelved its

plans to build a multi-user gas-processing

hub at James Price Point.Colin Barnett has admitted that he had

failed to create thousands of jobs for West

Australians and failed to create opportunities

for WA industry.

Union members blockaded Parliament house to highlight

the economic vandalism of floating LNG platforms (FLNG).

Rallyagainsteconomicvandalism

committedbyFLNGPLATFORMS


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Shipbuilding campaign off to a great startA group of twelve delegates have gone to Canberra to discuss Australian shipbuildingjobs and keep Australian ships designed, built and maintained in Australian shipyards.

The visit was part of an official campaignfor an Australian made navy. The campaignwas launched on the 29th of May 2013 andshipbuilders around the country stoppedwork in a bid to convince politicians to keepjobs in Australia and guarantee the future ofour shipbuilding industry.

There are currently major projects happeningacross three Australian shipyards, which are

expected to wind down between 2015 and2016, leaving thousands of workers out ofa job.

The previous Australian Minister of Defence,Mike Kelly was a guest speaker at a nationalshipbuilders meeting and he confirmed theAustralian Government wished to build 48new ships, including 8 new submarines at acost of $250 billion dollars. However, thereis no guarantee that this work will be done inAustralia. The onus is now on the new Liberalgovernment and likely new Defence MinisterDavid Johnston to get behind the shipbuildingindustry and show they are committed tolocal industry and local jobs.

If we dont get commitment to build the 48vessels stated in the 2013 defence white

We were seeking to get the politicians to signa pledge to show their commitment for theshipbuilding industry here in Australia, he said.

Currently more than 50 MPs have signed thepledge to support an Australian made navy.Not one of them is from the Liberal party.

Every federal MP in the area around Australianshipyards received a letter from AMWUNational Secretary Paul Bastian seeking theirsupport and for them to sign the pledge.

If you want to help the campaign, go to theAMWU website and sign the online letter toyour local MP.

You can also check out an online video withmore information at makingourfuture.com.au

paper, our shipyards will be forced to sackworkers and possibly close their gates, saidAMWU delegate Jon Primrose.

More than 6,000 workers around the countrycould lose their jobs.

Recently in Canberra, Mr Primrose met withfederal politicians about what can be done forthe future of ship manufacturing in Australia.

I went to Canberra on the 18th of June fortwo full days of meetings with ministers andsenators from all political parties, he said.

We had 12 delegates in total from all themajor shipyards in Australia seeking bipartisansupport for our industry, said Mr Primrose.


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STATE SECRETARYS REPORT,

WITH STEVE MCCARTNEY

While we respect

the election result,

it wont change our

unions priorities

on local jobs, skills

development and

decent wages and

conditions

3

AMWU Perth office: 121 Royal St, East PerthTelephone: (08) 9223 0800Fax:(08) 9225 4744

www.amwu.org.au

The fght goes onThere is no doubt the election of Tony Abbott and the Liberals

will make life harder for workers to organise to defend their

rights at work. But we have been here before and we wont

be taking a backward step. Our priorities for our members

remain the same.

The result wont change our unions prioritieson local jobs, skills development and decent

wages and conditions. The game might

have changed but our fight goes on: the

workers united will never be defeated. We

are a campaigning union and will fight for

the needs of members regardless of who

is in government. We have been here for

160 years and have fought and won against

tougher opponents than Tony Abbott. We will

campaign hard and stand up for workers

rights just as we always have.

We will continue to fight for the democraticrights of workers to join a union and bargain

collectively. We will defend our right to strike

and we will do all we can to stop the return of

the draconian and discriminatory Australian

Building and Construction Commission. We

will fight Liberal plans to make it harder for

union organisers to get into workplaces to

talk to workers.

Importantly we will continue our shipbuilding

campaign to ensure continuity of work for

our local industry. You can read more about

the shipping campaign in this edition of

Manufacturing Matters but now the focuswill shift to making sure the new government

honours the promises our delegates secured

from the previous government. It is a national

priority that we bring forward the build of

Defence vessels to avoid the Valley of

Death that could result in permanent loss of

capacity for our local industry. The issue is

just too important to play politics on.

We will also continue to fight for local skills

development and the rights of our apprentices.

The AMWU won a big pay increase for all

first and second year apprentices nationwide

just last month. Despite a 48% apprentice

dropout rate, the Liberals teamed up with

big business to oppose the pay rises to keep

more of our kids in training. We will build on

this great result to ensure our kids are givena chance to learn a trade before overseas

labour is brought in. Well also fight Tony

Abbotts plans to roll back proper market

testing before 457 visas are brought in.

On the FLNG front, well hold Colin Barnett

to his word now that a Federal Liberal

government is in power. We know Gary

Gray didnt listen to the Premier, so it will be

interesting to see if Barnett gets any respect

from his own side.

We call on our members to support each

other across industries, and stand togetherto build density in our workplaces. And buy

some comfortable shoes because sooner or

later well be marching up the street to KEEP

THE BASTARDS HONEST.

Our campaigns will continue regardless ofthe government


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(AMC) Facilities

Bechtel restricts site leave

for Wheatstone workersThe AMWU is outraged at Bechtels decision to restrict

site leave to Onslow to just 50 Wheatstone employees

on rostered rest days.

AMWU

CAMPSNOTPRISO

NS

Union members takeon Bradken and win

After a hard-fought and drawn out

campaign, AMWU members have secured

a pay rise for themselves at the BradkenBassendean plant.

This is a poorly thought out idea

that effectively amounts to worker

incarceration, said AMWU State Secretary

Steve McCartney.

This disgraceful decision means many

workers will spend their entire swing behind

a wire mesh fence. Its an absolute joke.

Mr McCartney said the decision was

made with absolutely no consultation with

workers or the union.

He said Bechtel was asking for trouble by

keeping workers all cooped up together on

their rest day.

Mr McCartney was also concerned about

the impact on individual workers and theirmental health.

We have serious concerns that

unnecessarily restricting site leave will

adversely affect mental health in an industry

which already has a poor reputation for

looking after workers, he said.

The union is undertaking discussions with

Bechtel to make sure our members can have

decent rest and recuperation while working

a long way from their homes and families.

Pay negotiations started in October last

year, with workers EBA set to run out at the

end of December.

The two parties were poles apart, with

workers wanting a 5% pay rise and the

company offering 2% and the ability to

move workers to any Bradken site in the

metro area.

After many meetings and the company

refusing to budge, the AMWU at

the behest of our members, lodged

paperwork with Fair Work Australia onthe 9th of May for protected industrialaction.

The action commenced on the 12th of Junewith a ban on overtime and the performanceof administration work and record keeping.

Given this was in the lead up to the end of

the financial year, it caused a great deal ofinconvenience for the company.

The company retaliated by locking out 8 admin

workers for two days. But AMWU members atBradken banded together, did a whip aroundand raised enough money to cover the lostwages of their fellow union members.

Still unable to reach agreement, the AMWUagain launched protected industrial actionon the 20th of June, and workers stopped

work for 24 hours. National Secretary Paul

Bastian addressed striking workers, letting

them know the national union backed their

cause and would support them all the way.

AMWU members again held another

protected four-hour stoppage on the 4th ofJuly, the company finally started to bargainin good faith.

By sticking to their guns, refusing to give

in and supporting each other, our Bradken

members dragged the company up to

nearly double their original offer. Well done

to all our staunch Bradken members on a

well deserved win.

ACAMPAIGNINGUNION


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ACAMPAIGNINGUNION

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More bucks inapprentice pocketsthanks to AMWUThe AMWU has welcomed the decision by the Fair Work

Commission to substantially raise apprentice wages,

however the union believes it doesnt go far enough.

Portable long service leave entitlementsThe AMWU has intervened at the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) to fight for

portable long service leave entitlements for construction workers.

On the 22nd of August, the Commission

handed down a decision to increase some

apprentice wages by up to 50%.

However, the union was extremely

disappointed the decision did not apply to

current apprentices, and the higher wages

would only be paid to those who started

their apprenticeships from January 2014.

The AMWU orchestrated the claim for an

increase in apprentice wages, a lowering

of adult age for apprentices from 21 to

20 and for employers to meet travel and

study costs associated with completing an

apprenticeship.

The AMWU national president, Andrew

Dettmer said the decision would encourage

more people to take up apprenticeships.

It is vital that as a country we are investing in

training our people, not relying on 457 visa

programs to temporarily fill skill shortages.Attracting people into apprenticeships and

having governments prepared to support

trade-training opportunities are crucial, he

said.

Under the decision, there would be a rise

in first year apprentice wages to 50% of

the trade base wage, while second year

apprentice wages would be adjusted

accordingly to 60% or 65%, depending on

the level of education.

This new wage win was the first change

in relativities for apprentices with year 10education levels for over 30 years.

The AMWU argued that granting wage

increases for apprentices was an essential

step in attracting and retaining trade

apprentices and would assist in stemming

the drop out rate that had climbed to 48%.

The Full Bench has accepted the logic that

this is about building Australian industrys

competitiveness by developing the critical

trade skills needed to lift productivity. This

is particularly relevant to our manufacturing

sector, said Mr Dettmer.

The Full Bench has drawn on many of the

experiences of our apprentice members

in reaching a conclusion in this matter.

Unfortunately, they havent included those

apprentices in the wage adjustment.

Mr Dettmer said the union would continue

to fight to have current apprentices

included in the wage rise.

With the transient nature of the Australianmanufacturing industry, increasingly movingworkers nationally and internationally, it isimportant for workers to have flexible leaveoptions.

Because the manufacturing andconstruction industry is very project driven,it would be nearly impossible for mostworkers to accumulate enough servicewith one employer to be eligible for longservice leave.

Thanks to the AMWU, workers at the AMCare now able to work for many employers atonce and gain their long service leave benefit.

It is also important to have long service

leave entitlements in the right classificationof the area of work, otherwise workers willnot receive the benefits they earn.

After scaffolders at the AMC were classedas fabrication workers when they wereworking in construction, AMWU OrganiserDavid Fox intervened to get the workersre-classified so they could obtain benefitsthey deserved.

Mr Fox knew that being put into the wrongclassification for these workers meant theywould be entitled to less.

This is a great result for the workers at theAMC and the union will continue to fight forother workers.

It isimportant to havelong service leave

entitlements in the

right classification,

otherwise workers

will not receive the

benefits they earn.


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WD Moore windmill workshop shut downAfter 150 years in business, WD Moore has been forced to close the doors of its

workshop, forcing several employees out of a job.

WD Moores windmill workshop in OConnor

has been dismantled, split up and auctioned

off over two days following a bad takeover

deal with Pan Asia, a Singaporean

multinational company.

Since its establishment in 1862, WD Moore

& Co has been manufacturing windmills and

solar systems to supply customers in rural

and remote areas Australia wide.

It is a travesty that a West Australian

institution can be cannibalised by an overseas

multinational planning to trade off the

goodwill and reputation of a local company

while shipping production off to China, said

AMWU State Secretary Steve McCartney.

Mr McCartney said Pan Asia had picked the

eyes out of WD Moore and forced one of the

workshops to send its patents and casting

moulds for the latest Yellowtail model to a

factory in China.

This was a profitable and competitive

company with a loyal customer base, full

order books and a rock-solid reputation for

building the best windmills in the world, he

said.

Mr McCartney said WD Moore had fallen

victim to expanding overseas companies

because it was a profitable company making

quality products, not because they could not

compete in an ever-expanding industry.

Now we are seeing staff sacked, some

who have worked there for nearly five

decades while others are losing their homes.

We are seeing the workshop split up and

dismembered. We are seeing WA-developed

technology shipped off to a foreign country,

said Mr McCartney.

WD Moore is the second oldest company

in Western Australia. Now it will be reduced

to a shop front, while we further outsource

our skills, intellectual property and local

manufacturing capacity.


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UnionwelcomesnewKimberleyorganiserRussellDaveyThe AMWUissetto take a long and hopefully fruitful journeyacross the Kimberleywiththe local knowledgeof our unionsnew organiser RussellDavey.

The unions WA branch is working closelywith the Kimberley Land Council to bring

the concept of workers rights to Aboriginal

communities across the vast area ofmineral wealth and Russell Wossy Davey

is the right person for the job.

A man of the world and a Bardi Jawi

man from One Arm Point, 220km north

of Broome, he will be the unions firstindigenous organiser in WA.

Mr Davey has deep community, cultural

and family contacts across the Kimberleyand has worked in the mining industry,

driving trucks at Rio Tinto iron ore mines

in the Pilbara.

A lot of (Kimberley) people dont know

what the union is about, they have to be

given the information that our union ishere to help them and not to make any

trouble, he said.

Its particularly needed with the resources

and mining, where there will be big

changes for communities and the chancesof jobs coming with the gas and other

projects.

His appointment comes as theopportunities for improving the living

standards of indigenous communities

through mining in their traditional landsis a focus of national debate, particularly

over the future of gas development in the

Kimberley.

If I can tell my people about their rights,about the need to ensure they have theright hours, pay, safety, then that has to

help everyone.

Mr Davey has deep cultural links in theregion, as an artist and as a dancer with the

Bardi Dance group, telling their traditional

stories. The group has performed acrossthe nation and overseas, in 2007 in New

York and Los Angeles as part of the high-

profile GDay USA promotion of Australia.

It also performs with other local groups

when the West Kimberley people haveregional meetings.

If youre involved with the customs and

culture, if you have that strength behind

you, people will listen when youre getting

other messages out, like talking about the

union, he said.

He represents the Ardyaloon clan on

the local Bardi Jawi Prescribed Body

Corporate BC and has worked over the

past few years as a mentor in One Arm

Points Capital Development Program.

I was helping people in my community

with the work for the dole program, a lot of

people are nervous to even go and try for a

regular job so we have to give them somesort of hope, he said.

Mr Davey hopes to draw on his knowledge

of towns and communities stretching

between Broome to Kununurra, possibly

using some of his artwork to explain what

unionism is about.

Its a long stretch of road, but its a small

place when youve been involved with the

Kimberley Land Council, going out bush.

You have to be able to speak directly

with people, appreciate and respect their

culture, their customs, he said.

Its knowing how to talk to them, how to

approach them, even the signals you send

with your body language.

WA State Secretary Steve McCartney

stressed that while Mr Davey was

familiarising himself with the AMWU, our

union had more to learn from him.

We can teach him a lot but well be

sending an AMWU organiser up there on

a voluntary basis to learn about indigenous

culture, something weve already done in

other parts of the state, he said.

Mr McCartney said Mr Daveys new role

involved educating local communities on

the value of schooling, work and unionism,

while trying to steer people away from

destructive behaviour.

Hes a guy who has worked in mining,

who is part of indigenous culture, who is a

mentor, Mr McCartney said.

I asked him can you do this job and he

said bloody oath, its a great opportunity.

All the new AMWU man needs now is a

car, a phone and a laptop and hell be set

to go.

Im challenging myself to take this job on,

Ill have all the training and all the support

to do my best for the union and my people,

Mr Davey said.


10/10

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BookaboutthehistoryoftheAMWUnowo

nsale

AMWU members might be interested in reading a new

book, which details the history of our union.

As a large and complex organisation, the

AMWU can trace its origins to the earliest

years of Australian trade unionism.

This book presents the achievements of the

union since the 1850s, yet does not shy

away from challenges to that history or fromcontroversies past and present.

The book details the industrial influence of the

AMWU since the middle of the 19th century,

discussing the importance of union banners

and their place in industrial and political

campaigning, and relating stories of memorable

people, movements, and campaigns.

It also stresses the significance of the shorter

hours movement of the 1970s and 80s.

Australia Reconstructed, one of the most

important - and neglected - union documents

of the late 20th century, is revisited.

Additionally, the politics of union amalgamation

are analysed, and the continuing pressures

on women as union delegates and leaders

are revealed.The book draws out the rich human flavor

of the AMWU and suggests its deep and

complex connections with the Australian

society of which it is part.

The book is edited by our National President

Andrew Dettmer and is available on

amazon.com

We have ten copies of the book, the first ten

people to email [email protected] will

get a free copy.

Banking just goteasier or KomatsuworkersME Bank (formerly Members Equity) is

now offering weekly banking services at

the Komatsu site in Welshpool.

ME Bank held a launch at the earthmoving

company recently, where Business

Development Manager Michael Hall spoke

to up to 200 workers about the benefits of

banking with ME Bank.

Organiser Gary Carozzi and delegates

Lindsay Morton and Rocky Versace were also

on hand to help out.

ME Bank was set up around 20 years ago by

the union movement to provide its members

with an alternative to the big 4 banks.

The profits from ME Bank go back to

members through their industry super funds.

Mr Hall said ME Bank offered union members

a competitive and transparent alternative.

We offer consistently lower interest rates

which could save members

up to $20,000 on an average

mortgage, he said.

Mr Hall said the main advantage of banking

with ME Bank was that reps actually go out

to sites around Perth to help workers with

their banking.

This means that people have access to their

banking at work, which saves them time and

money, he said.

Members who sign up with ME bank have

access to all the normal bank services like

opening accounts, checking balances, or

transferring money.

They can also enquire about mortgage rates

and ME Bank can then send a rep to their

home to answer questions.

ME Bank will also install ATMs in some of the

bigger work sites around the country.

Mr Hall said ME Bank genuinely had the

interests of union members in mind.

For instance, if a member was to lose their job

and had a mortgage with us, we have a hardship

policy to help defer mortgage payments while

they look for a new job, he said.

ME reps currently visit around seven bigger

sites in WA weekly as well as smaller sites on

a regular basis.

Documents

Manufacturing Matters - September 2013