450 employees lose their jobs.thanks labor, page-52

LOL not long now.

This is one reason to get get rid of AWU justis.

Bullybot tactics like the front bench of goverment.


EMPLOYERS have accused the Australian Workers Union of abusing right-of-entry rules to try to boost membership, declaring a push to win over workers at a key BHP Billiton operation to be "out of control".

Figures obtained by The Weekend Australian show that union officials made more than 180 visits to the Worsley alumina plant in Western Australia in the past year - once every two days on average - including 156 visits by representatives of the AWU.

In the wake of the AWU's landmark success in re-unionising Rio Tinto's Bell Bay smelter in Tasmania, BHP's Worsley plant has emerged as the next battleground in union leader Paul Howes's strategy to progressively re-unionise the aluminium sector.

Australian Mines and Metals Association chief executive Steve Knott said the figures were fresh evidence that unions were using the Fair Work Act to engage in blatant recruitment campaigns.

"What's happening at the moment at Worsley is just out of control," Mr Knott said yesterday.

"Employers do not object to a reasonable level of legitimate union entry into workplaces. However, the experience under the Fair Work Act is that most union visits are membership fishing expeditions. Some workplaces are subject to an incessant and unreasonable number of workplace visits, bordering on harassment of employees who choose not to be union members."

BHP has complained previously to the Gillard government about the "extraordinary" number of right-of-entry visits at a number of its operations, including Worsley. According to the company, union right-of-entry visits to Worsley were zero in 2007 and 2008 when Work Choices was in place. There were 23 visits in 2009 before the number increased substantially under the Fair Work Act to 116 in 2010 and 175 in 2011.

A BHP Billiton spokeswoman declined to comment yesterday but the company, in a submission to the government's Fair Work Act review panel last year, criticised the increase in visits.

"There is no justification for imposing upon an employer or its employees a requirement to submit to this level of intervention within a private workplace," the submission said. "No statutory object requires this."

Mr Howes said yesterday that AWU membership at Worsley had "grown dramatically", and denied that non-union members were being harassed.

He said the aluminium sector could be a dangerous sector and unions entered workplaces to address the industrial concerns of members, including health and safety issues.

Mr Howes has identified Worsley as a target as the AWU seeks to unionise the aluminium sector from "pit to port" by 2015. Worsley entered direct staff arrangements in 1996.

Mr Howes declined to nominate when the union would take action through the Fair Work Commission to show that the majority of Worsley employees wanted to be covered by a collective agreement.

Tony Abbott, when asked yesterday whether he had concerns about the right-of-entry laws or believed they needed to be toughened, said he was "certainly interested in what people in the community have to say on this issue and our policy will be carefully crafted to address real problems".

On his broader intentions for the Coalition's workplace policy, the Opposition Leader said: "We have said that there are some issues (with) Labor's Fair Work Act: there's a relevancy issue, flexibility issue, above all else there is a productivity issue.

"We do need to address these but any changes that the Coalition makes will be careful, cautious, responsible and they will be within the framework of the existing act."

Mr Knott said each time a union exercised right of entry, it cost employers "considerable time and money to chaperone them on site. Managers' time improving safety and productivity should not become subservient to trade union membership drives.

"This is particularly the case in the resource industry, where safety and other legal liabilities demand external visitors be suitably accompanied at all times, and work must often be modified for off-site visitors."

He said fair and balanced right-of-entry laws should be based on staff demand for union representation, demonstrated by employees having chosen to join the union or have the union bargain on their behalf.

"However, legislative changes in 2009 gave rise to a significant increase in unnecessary and unproductive union right-of-entry visits," Mr Knott said.

"This is bordering on harassment of employees who choose not to be members when they are constantly being badgered over union membership during their break."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/union-tilt-for-bhp-workers-slammed/story-fn59niix-1226562218487