While the Fair Work Act 2009 has improved respect for trade union rights, problematic areas remain. Freedom of association
freedom of association
The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.
See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework
is guaranteed for both private and public sector workers. However, in order to register a union, an excessive 50 members is required, and in New South Wales, registration can be cancelled in case of a strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
having a substantially adverse effect on public service. Employers and other unions also have the right to challenge changes to union “eligibility rules”, which essentially outline the types of employees unions can represent. The right to collective bargaining
collective bargaining
The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
is secured in the Fair Work Act but there are restrictions with regard to the content of the collective agreements.
The right to strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
is limited as lawful industrial action
industrial action
Any form of action taken by a group of workers, a union or an employer during an industrial dispute to gain concessions from the other party, e.g. a strike, go-slow or an overtime ban, or a lockout on the part of the employer.
can only be taken during the process of bargaining for a collective agreement, and cannot be taken when bargaining with multiple employers unless they form a single interest group (e.g. a joint venture). Protected industrial action
industrial action
Any form of action taken by a group of workers, a union or an employer during an industrial dispute to gain concessions from the other party, e.g. a strike, go-slow or an overtime ban, or a lockout on the part of the employer.
can be suspended or terminated in a number of different circumstances by the Minister and/or by Fair Work Australia (such as where the strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
is deemed to be causing significant economic damage to the parties or where the action is causing significant harm to a third party). Secondary action is also unlawful. Finally, separate and punitive laws continue to apply to workers and trade unions in the building and construction industry.
Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) inspectors continued to harass trade union members and officials in the construction sector, including by conducting secret interrogations of individual workers without a guarantee of legal representation of their choice. The ABCC has the power to impose fines of up to AUD 22,000 on workers, and those who refuse to submit to the interrogation procedure can face prison terms of up to 6 months.
Ark Tribe, a construction worker on a building site at Flinders University in South Australia, was charged with not attending an ABCC interrogation in 2008 and faced up to six months in jail. Workers at the site had been demanding that the company management fix a series of serious safety issues and it was only when the South Australian State authorities intervened that the safety breaches were rectified. The ABBC had visited the building site and interviewed the workers, but it did not interview the company managers over the safety breaches for which the company was responsible. Tribe was summoned for questioning by the ABCC, which subsequently charged him with failing to attend the interview at the appointed time. Tribe was found not guilty by the Adelaide Magistrates’ Court in November 2010, with the court finding that the former ABCC Commissioner had failed to lawfully delegate his functions.
A bill introduced into the federal parliament by the Labor Government in 2009 – which sought to abolish the ABCC but to create a separate building industry inspectorate with coercive powers but with additional safeguards – would have represented some improvement on the current situation. However, it failed to pass through the Parliament. Australian unions have continued their campaign to ensure that the Government delivers on its promise to abolish the ABCC and to implement laws that recognise and protect the rights of workers and trade unions.