The Fair Work Commission has terminated a Work Choices agreement between the AWU and a Spotless subsidiary that saved the employer about $2 million a year in wages and penalty rates.
The Cbus superannuation fund found it "incomprehensible" that two senior managers would lie about leaking members’ personal information to the CFMEU, the Heydon Royal Commission heard today.
CFMEU construction and general division NSW branch secretary Brian Parker is stepping aside from this role, giving the Heydon Royal Commission its first scalp among current union leaders.
The AWU is seeking to terminate a substandard cleaning agreement exposed in the Heydon Royal Commission, while former Victorian branch secretary Cesar Melhem has stepped down as Labor whip in Victoria's upper house, after the inquiry criticised workplace deals struck during his leadership.
A former AWU Victorian branch organiser has denied responsibility for a side deal with a cleaning company to pay an annual $25,000 "service fee" to the union while casual employees missed out on penalty rates.
The construction firm Downer EDI paid $25,000 to help end a "community picket" of a heliport being used to fly workers to a Bass Strait gas project, the Heydon Royal Commission heard today.
The AWU's Victorian branch received money for running training sessions for employers which was recorded in its accounts as membership dues, the Heydon Royal Commission has heard.
The AWU's Victorian branch received up to $25,000 a year from a Spotless Group subsidiary under a memorandum of understanding that meant cleaners were not paid penalty rates, the Heydon Royal Commission heard today.
The Heydon Royal Commission has today asked for further submissions on the introduction of US-style anti-racketeering laws "to combat unlawful activities" in the construction industry, while noting it would constitute "a significant step requiring detailed and careful consideration".
The Heydon Royal Commission will next week issue a discussion paper that will canvass whether penalties for union officials who breach their duties should be brought into line with those for company directors under the Corporations Act.
