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It is commendable the Branch has correctly given credit AOS, OSM, Swire and
for the work of the current staff during the difficult times Solstad to name a few,
with so many officials on sick leave and an associated have already tried to
tiring workload. It’s a pity such recognition was not apply dead days
forthcoming during the period July 2019 through to June instead of duty days. It
2020, as negative events during that period could well is time for the
have been avoided. membership across the
industry to Unite and
Ongoing issues yet to be resolved. take up the fight with
Go-Offshore. Protected action ballots MUS be supported.
Equally, disillusioned members remind the readers of the We MUST get this provision right.! DOF is rumoured to
Newsletter of issues that remain unattended and seek to apply the same tactics. Above is an advertisement
unresolved, which date back to 2020. Below are some of allegedly from Go-Offshore who are using another
them. manning agency for employment, in attempts to bypass
the MUA EBA... Don’t apply, contact the W.A. Branch.
1. The on-off Special Meeting. Agreed July 2020.
2. Charges against P. Gallagher from August 2020. CFMMEU
3. Minutes of one BMM meeting still in abeyance and
th
never finalised, and several differing months BMM A newspaper report (June 9 ) headlined “Setka allies hit
minutes ‘can’t be found’ along with the actual official out and CFMEU’s O’Connor outlines Union figures
minute book”. intervened in an internal CFMEU election to attack long-
4. All the relevant issues and reports around the Bug time leader Michael O’Connor and call for him to get the
Affair boot! Setka is reported to be backing a ticket of some 11
5. Mike Barber’s ‘Appeal’ awaits an outcome. candidates to challenge positions in the Manufacturing
sector of which O’Connor is the Divisional Secretary.
W.A. Offshore Update.
This is a new intervention in the current civil war engulfing
Go offshore EA negotiations, the FWC approved to ballot the CFMMEU. The Setka backed ‘Members first ticket’ is
members to take protected action, urging a ‘vote yes’. headed by Arturo Menon a senior Queensland
And starts next week It is believed Go Offshore intend to construction organiser and includes candidates “some
replace their current casuals with casuals from a manning drawn from 83 ineligible members in NSW timber mills”
agency. Members are urged to be vigilant and keep the who switched membership to the Queensland
office informed the company sends its MUA members. construction branch in 2019.
Go Offshore recently sought to have member ‘pay for the
transport to and from the vessel from and to the security The federal Court was informed that while the NSW
gate. timber workers had paid union fees for the 3 years,
making them eligible for voting rights, none of those fees
Atlas EBA voted up and lodged with FWC with key made it to the CFMEU’s manufacturing division and as a
conditions that secure dead days whilst working on board result they could not vote in its upcoming elections”.
an oil and gas vessel. Atlas members have voted to retain Another ineligible candidate is a former manufacturing
Protect as their income protection and severance organiser who went to work for Mr Setka’s branch to
provider. poach Mr O’Connor’s members. Manufacturing Lawyer
Herman Borenstein said, “she had breached the rules and
Right of Entry win with the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) engaged in a clear intrusion into the autonomy of the
The PPA was established in mid-2014 and provided new manufacturing division”.
restricted procedures against union officials right of entry
(ROE) and freely within the port premises, despite a The launch of those 11 candidates was reportedly hosted
formal ROE required notice, and a union official to always by the ETU at its Victorian headquarters and attended by
be ‘escorted’. No other port in W.A. or the country representatives from the Construction union, the
requires such a restriction. It is a win for Union officials Communications Electrical and Plumbing union, along
and more importantly MUA members coming onto the with the United firefighters and health workers union.
MOF wharf, in Dampier or working across the various
PPA sites. Among the crowd was a former Australian Services Union
leader, who as an internal ASU review found , ‘engaged
Late news (june17) offshore companies to attack the in gross misbehaviour’ by paying members money to a
equal time roster. Over the last 12 months, W. A. has company secretly controlled by his wife. More interesting
reported this EBA is about locking in scope and coverage developments are sure to be revealed soon.
clauses that among other issues, secured the duty day
onboard and not be defined as a ‘dead day’. Companies
are trying to class a ‘dead day’ as when your vessel is This newsletter is published by Mike Barber (6224) and Jeff Langdon
either in transit to or from a job, not on hire/contract or any (5266/1819) on behalf of the Queensland Branch R&F Collective.
Members wishing to receive Newsletter’s to their own email address,
other circumstances that they can come up with. send details to cman45au@live.com.au. We hope also, for contributions
and feedback in response to editions we publish. Thanks Comrades
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