Senator Lundy has today called for the ACT Chamber of Commerce and Industry to apologise for the comments it made last year dismissing allegations that were made by skilled migrant workers against four Canberra restaurants. Yesterday the Federal Magistrates Court handed down $50,000 in penalties, plus $5,400 in unpaid wages including interest, to The Italian [...]
industrial relations
OWS should reveal the whole truth about Canberra restaurant breaches
114 Canberra restaurants were issued with breach notices by the Office of Workplace Services (OWS) for not meeting minimum employment laws. A total of 218 Canberra restaurants were audited. OWS has claimed to have recovered around $386,500 for 520 employees that were ripped off. The question is: how much of that has actually made it [...]
Bishop Wrong on Linking Extreme IR Laws to Productivity
Today Julie Bishop, Minister for Education, again attempted to link the Howard Government’s extreme IR laws to productivity. When will this Government come clean and admit that their unfair IR laws are about getting rid of unions and giving more power to big business, not about productivity. Under the Howard Government’s workplace laws, many Australians [...]
Employers and Unions come together to stand up for young workers rights
Today Senator Lundy launched the ’10 things new employees should know’ initiative. The ’10 things’ project aims to better inform young people about their rights and obligations in the workplace and about where to get help when faced with an employment issue. The fold-out business cards that were released today lists the top 10 things [...]
Serco Sodexho uses duress to force workers to sign AWA’s
Jessica Shepherd, a 19 year old science student at ANU, has lodged a complaint this month with the Office of Workplace Services (OWS) against the multi-national corporation Serco Sodexho Defence Services. In her complaint, Ms Shepherd alleged that Serco Sodexho, the company that won the Canberra Defence services contract, used duress to get her and [...]
Serco Sodexho and the real story about Work Choices
Since Serco Sodexho took over the multi-million dollar Canberra Defence services contract, workers at Canberra’s Defence establishments have felt the full force of the Howard Government’s Work Choices legislation. Local cleaners were set to have their wages slashed when Serco Sodexho took over the Canberra Defence cleaning contract on 1st October 2006. With the support [...]
Work Choices: Bad for workers, bad for small business too
Senator Lundy has today called on local employers to allow their employees to attend the National Day of Action on November 30 at Manuka Oval. “The Howard Government’s Work Choices legislation is not only bad for workers, but it is bad for local small businesses too”, Senator Lundy said today. While much of the focus [...]
Canberra Restaurants Banned From Sponsoring Skilled Migrants
Four Canberra restaurants have been banned from sponsoring temporary skilled migrants for up to three years, DIMA told a Senate Estimates Committee yesterday. Senate Estimates was told that Pangaea Restaurant and Bar, Zeffirelli Pizza Restaurant and Holy Grail have been banned from the 457 visa program for three years from 6 October 2006. Milk and [...]
457 visa program mismanagement fails everyone
457 visa program mismanagement fails everyone: local workers, skilled migrants and industry. The Minister for Immigration has announced that 510 Skilled Migrants came into the ACT in 2005-2006. The construction industry saw the biggest percentage increase in the use of 457 temporary skilled migration visas with a 263% increase! Despite the Minister’s claims of how [...]
Unions join forces to defeat AWA’s
Frustrated Cleaners and Stores workers demand Employment Advocate veto illegal AWAs The LHMU, representing the cleaners and the NUW representing stores and distribution workers involved in the dispute with new Defence cleaning contractor, Serco Sodexho have both identified deficiencies in the AWA’s cleaners have been forced to sign. The AWAs appear not to comply with [...]
