United Voice secretary Jo Schofield has made it clear that the union won't accept "baby steps" in moving to a universal industry bargaining system if Labor wins the next election, saying a misplaced trust in enterprise bargaining has been damaging for its members.
The ACTU will today release a jobs policy that calls for an end to public sector wage caps and pay freezes, along with calling time on the use of "illegitimate" fixed-term contracts in government jobs.
Victorian unions will push the Andrews Labor Government to make deliberate and dishonest "wage theft" a criminal offence if it wins the state election in November, while they will also be pursuing industrial manslaughter laws.
The ACTU's policy pitch for the next election will include the right for casual workers to convert to permanent after six months, equal rights for workers in the gig economy and a overhaul of labour hire regulation.
The ACTU is seeking to hire a fundraising and bequests program coordinator as part of a strategy to diversify its funding base, which largely relies on fees and levies paid by affiliated unions.
In a notable retreat from traditional demarcation battles, the ACTU is overseeing the national roll-out of an online membership system that simplifies transfers between different unions.
Unilever has applied to terminate an enterprise agreement for a Streets ice cream plant in Sydney, where bargaining is deadlocked despite more than a year of interest-based bargaining before the Fair Work Commission.
Victorian unions are preparing to run a long social media campaign to secure the reinstatement of 16 Crown Casino workers after receiving advice that the outsourcing of their work is probably lawful
