LABOR COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
MEETING HELD 30TH MARCH, 2000
IN THE TRADES HALL AUDITORIUM
AT 4 GOULBURN STREET, SYDNEY, AT 6.05 P.M.
PRESENT:- M. Costa (Secretary), J.
Robertson (Assistant Secretary).
The Secretary, Com.
M. Costa, moved: -
"That the minutes as circulated be
received."
Com. B. Riordan
seconded.
CARRIED
The Secretary, Com.
M. Costa, moved: -
"That the minutes as circulated be
adopted."
Com. A. Peters
seconded.
CARRIED
CREDENTIALS
From The Australian Services Union, NSW Clerical
and Administrative Branch appointing: - F. Hancock.
From The Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of
Australia (NSW Branch) appointing: - H. Nguyen in place of B. Tubner.
Moved and seconded: -
"That the credentials be received
and the delegates welcomed".
CARRIED
For
the ensuing year
From The Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of
Australia (NSW Branch) appointing: - B. Tubner, J. Owen, M. Brown, B. Jenson,
D. Tozer.
APOLOGIES:-
Apologies were received
and accepted from: - M. Lennon, N. Steer, C. Christodoulou, G. Donnelly, G.
Dwyer, J. Hennessy, B. Harris, D. Bell, P. Bradley, B. Johnson.
QUESTION WITHOUT NOTICE
Com. B. Holmes of the
NSW Nurses' Association asked the Secretary Com. M. Costa if he was aware that
Friday 7th April 2000 was National Health Day with the objective of
maintaining Medicare.
Com. Costa advised he
was not, but now was.
EXECUTIVE BUSINESS
CORRESPONDENCE:
1. From the Australian Services Union
of Australia, NSW Clerical and Administrative Branch: - concerning the
release of the Federal Privacy Commissioner's Guidelines on Workplace e-mail,
web browsing and privacy. The Union said it generally supported the concept of
policies being developed within workplaces, that provided clear and specific
guidelines for the use of electronic facilities. The Union said to impose
policies that restrict personal access to modern technology is to deny that we
live in the 21st Century. The Union said in today's business world
it is acknowledged that not all inter-office memos are of the business where
one is employed. The Union requested Labor Council seek a meeting with the
Attorney General, the Hon. J. W. Shaw QC MLC and seek the development of a code
of ethics or practice for the use and monitoring of e-mail. Further, the Union
requested Labor Council monitor cases of individuals using electronic mediums
at their workplace who may be unfairly dealt with by their employer, with a
view to establishing an easy reference guide of decisions for unions.
Com. M. Costa moved
the Executive Recommendation: -
"That the correspondence be received
and Labor Council seek a meeting with the Attorney General on this matter".
Com. J. Bennett
seconded.
CARRIED
2. From the Premier of NSW, Bob Carr:
- advising Labor Council its current representative on the Regional Communities
Council (RCCC), Ms Christine Robertson, term expires in March 2000. The Premier
advised that the RCCC provided advice to the Government on rural and regional
issues. The Premier requested nominations for consideration for the appointment
to the RCCC. The Premier said the nominations had to be received by close of
business Wednesday 5th April 2000.
Com. M. Costa moved
the Executive Recommendation: -
"That the correspondence be received and
Labor Council nominate: Michael Madden (AWU), Peter Zaboyek (CFMEU), Rick Baker
(ETU) and Rhonda Lawler (NSW Nurses' Association)."
Com. B. Riordan
seconded.
CARRIED
3. From the Australian Workers' Union,
Greater NSW Branch: - concerning the potential loss of the jobs for its
members at Pacific Turbine, Milperra Road, Bankstown. The Union advised it was
concerned about the recent call for tenders for the maintenance of the Royal
Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) aircraft. The Union said it understood that the
RFDS was favouring the tender of an overseas company, Pratt & Whitney. The
Union said this decision would mean a loss of 40 jobs from the Bankstown
facility and a reduction of skills in the workforce. The Union requested Labor
Council raise the issue with the NSW Government urgently with a view to taking
all possible steps to ensure this kind of work stays in Australia and is
undertaken by Australian workers.
Com. M. Costa moved
the Executive Recommendation:-
"That the correspondence be received and
Labor Council raise this matter with the Premier".
Com. N. Allen
seconded and spoke to the resolution.
CARRIED
4. From the Finance Sector Union of
Australia, NSW/ACT Branch: - advising Labor Council of the status of its
campaign to have the Federal Government legislate to guarantee the finance
sector meets community service obligations. The Union said the FSU Community
Rescue Service 'Ambulance' was launched in North Parramatta by NSW Minister for
Fair Trading, John Watkins. The Union provided Labor Council with a copy of the
'Ambulance' itinerary. The Union further advised that the tour would take place
on the East Coast of Australia, where 'health checks' on local communities and
their access to financial services would be conducted. The Union said the aim
of the 'Ambulance' was to promote 'Save Our Services Community Petition' and
provide information to local communities on strategies that can be adopted to
protect and improve their access to services. The Union sought the support of
Labor Council in distributing the petition and the itinerary to all affiliates
with a request that affiliates support the petition and the ambulance when it
visits their local communities.
Com. M. Costa moved
the Executive Recommendation: -
"That the correspondence be received
and Labor Council circulate the ambulance itinerary to all affiliates
encouraging them to support and attend the various locations".
Com. G. Derrick
seconded and spoke to the resolution.
CARRIED
5.
From the Rail, Tram
and Bus Union, Bus Division: -
advising Council that its Branch meeting had carried the following motion:
"That
Branch Council having considered the recent negotiations for our Olympic
Allowance for RTBU Members, supports the Labor Council position that the
greatest impact on workers of the Olympic Games in September 2000, will be on
Public Transport Workers.
Branch Council believes that an appropriate claim for RTBU
Members should be $300 per week paid as a bonus over and above the agreed
payrate. Such an allowance may be linked to an attendance formula. In addition,
those members who are entitled to the above payment should be granted 1 week's
additional leave, which may be cleared over a three year period".
The Union requested
that a written claim be served on the State Transit Authority and Rail
Management. Further, the Union said should negotiations not be completed by the
30th April 2000, the Branch Executive were authorised to call for
industrial action to support the above motion
Com. M. Costa moved
the Executive Recommendation: -
"That the correspondence be received
and Labor Council offer its assistance to the Union".
Com. V. Herman
seconded.
CARRIED
6. From Senator, The Honourable Nick
Minchin, Minister for Industry, Science and Resources: - responding to
Labor Council's correspondence dated 7th February 2000, in relation
to the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) on vehicle
manufacturing in Australia. The Minister said the Government is closely
monitoring the sales of vehicles and gathering the information from numerous
sources, including the vehicle industry itself. The Minister said to reduce any
incentive to delay purchasing, the Government had introduced transitional
arrangements for the motor vehicle industry involving the phasing-in of access
to input tax credits for business.
Com. M. Costa moved
the Executive Recommendation: -
"That the correspondence be received and
forwarded to the AMWU - Vehicle Division for their information."
Com. S. Johnson
seconded.
CARRIED
7. From the Australian
Workers Union, Greater NSW Branch: - advising Labor Council of its struggle
with the Illawarra Institute of TAFE over the last 8 to 9 months. The Union
said the TAFE had advised them, that due to budget cuts, they were no longer
able to offer the same level of service to students in the traditional areas of
manufacturing, welding, machining, fitting, etc. The Union said as a result,
TAFE Management had advised them of the requirement to shed jobs. The Union
said it understood some of its members had been on long-term temporary
contracts ranging from 2 - 16 years. The Union said due to the stipulations in
the Public Service rules, these members would be the first to loose their
positions and would be unable to benefit from the restructure. The Union said
it seemed TAFE was deleting the tool store positions. The Union requested the
assistance of Labor Council to halt the process until such time as TAFE can
give the Union definite answers in regard to their real intentions.
The Secretary Com. M. Costa moved the Executive Recommendation: -
"That
the correspondence be received and Labor Council offer its assistance to the
Union in this matter".
Com. C. Bosworth seconded.
CARRIED
8. From the Honourable J.
W. Shaw, QC MLC, Attorney General and Minister for Industrial Relations: -
advising Labor Council of a proposal to establish a specialised workers
compensation scheme for the construction industry. The Attorney General said
the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and the Master Builders
Association had approached the Government seeking the endorsement of the
proposal. The Attorney General enclosed a copy of the discussion paper, with a
view to ascertaining the perspective of participants in the industry and other
parties who might have an interest in the industry. The Attorney General said
amendments to NSW legislation to permit the establishment of such a scheme were
contingent on the substantial agreement by stakeholders of the merit of the
proposal.
Com. M. Costa moved the Executive Recommendation: -
"That
the correspondence be received and referred to a meeting of building and
construction unions".
Com. G. Childs seconded.
CARRIED
9. From the Department of
Fair Trading, NSW Consumer Protection Agency: - advising Labor Council that
the Department was undertaking a review of the Employment Agents Act 1996 as
part of the legislation review of the NSW Government under National Competition
Policy. The Department said an industry and consumer based Reference Group had
been established to provide input throughout the review process. The Department
said the membership was:
·
Recruitment
and Consulting Services Association;
·
Migrant
Employment Taskforce;
·
the
Australian Business Chamber,
·
Jobfutures;
·
NSW
Nursing Agencies Association; and
·
The
NSW Council of Social Services
The Department said as well as reviewing competition issues, the review
would consider administrative processes imposed by the legislation in relation
to consistency with other licensing programs administered by the Department of
Fair Trading. The Department invited Labor Council to participate in the review
as a representative member to the Reference Group.
Com. M. Costa moved the Executive Recommendation: -
"That
the correspondence be received and Labor Council nominate Deputy Assistant Secretary
- Organising, Chris Christodoulou".
Com. A. Peters seconded.
CARRIED
COUNCIL ADJOURNED AT 6.38 PM.
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