Ever wondered what your union fees pay for?

We should work to remove corruption from unions, no doubt. Like any human enterprise, they are able to be corrupted. But to suggest abolishing collective bargaining for workers altogether is a very, very bad idea in my mind.

This same idea can apply to corporations though. They have their place in society, but are also prone to corruption. It generally runs on a much larger scale than what unions are capable of though...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-02/hsbc-judge-approves-1-9b-drug-money-laundering-accord.html

Unions are in with the Australian Bikies... Banks are in with multi-billion dollar drug cartels...
 
Last edited:
We dont need unions anymore, cause weekends and safe work practices are sorted already. Equally, we dont need capitalists anymore. The big corporations can take care of making a profit and returning capital and income to shareholders. They might even pay national taxes sometimes.


Should be fine.
 
Television said:
We should work to remove corruption from unions, no doubt. Like any human enterprise, they are able to be corrupted. But to suggest abolishing collective bargaining for workers altogether is a very, very bad idea in my mind.
.
Click to expand...

Why? The government sets the award, why don't we just follow that instead.
 
Television said:
We should work to remove corruption from unions, no doubt. Like any human enterprise, they are able to be corrupted. But to suggest abolishing collective bargaining for workers altogether is a very, very bad idea in my mind.
Click to expand...

This idea that it is collective bargaining is crap. The EBA agreements have No input from staff. The Union dictates terms and conditions to the employer and the employees go along for the ride. There is no staff input, these are generally generic documents that the unions prepare industry wide. Once one builder agrees to the agreement it is pushed through the industry (pattern bargaining, which is by the way illegal). Watch how collective bargaining works when the unions have an agenda with the builder (or a subsidiary of the builder in another location). They will instigate forced shut downs of building sites in revenge attacks to financially harm the builder in question...no concern for the worker here :confused: The worker generally doesn't even know why there is a stoppage!

If you want to see REAL collective bargaining at work then remove the unions and let staff negotiate with the employer directly....light bulb moment!!! What a great idea hey!!
 
Trippy said:
This idea that it is collective bargaining is crap. The EBA agreements have No input from staff.
Click to expand...

Going through the EBA process right now. Was quite happy on my above award negotiated contract but now the union has turned up for the 1st time in 10 years:mad:

Non members in particular get shafted.
 
There would be a lot of Union Bureaucrats starting to see things coming that they thought would never happen,,my suggestion get another job or retire real quick..
 
Trippy,

Sorry that you nearly lost your breakfast. I wonder though, did you feel the same indignation when you possibly read before Christmas of a certain Tier 1 construction companies overseas adventures.....

Can't name them (aligned to my current contract), or the people involved either as there are currently lawsuits flying in all directions.

Yes I agree that particular union are aholes. There are alternatives to them though and all unions shouldn't be tarred with the same brush.



This idea that it is collective bargaining is crap. The EBA agreements have No input from staff. The Union dictates terms and conditions to the employer and the employees go along for the ride. There is no staff input, these are generally generic documents that the unions prepare industry wide. Once one builder agrees to the agreement it is pushed through the industry (pattern bargaining, which is by the way illegal). Watch how collective bargaining works when the unions have an agenda with the builder (or a subsidiary of the builder in another location). They will instigate forced shut downs of building sites in revenge attacks to financially harm the builder in question...no concern for the worker here The worker generally doesn't even know why there is a stoppage!
Click to expand...

You do know that "staff" are the ones on the other side of the fence.....;)

And you also know all the above quoted because you have been actively involved in any.......?? Or is it just your opinion??

ciao

Nor
 
From The Australian....

WHAT we are seeing now is how in our construction sector, the power of the union official is absolute.

Yet this power is entirely artificial, created and bestowed by the deliberate policies of Australia's biggest listed building companies, Lend Lease and Leighton Holdings.

This is one real, but terribly inconvenient, truth. The other truth is that the solution to the problem, which is institutionalised corruption, can come only from within the companies that created it in the first place.

There is rampant corruption in the construction sector only because the two big building firms and their plethora of subsidiaries have colluded with unions to create a highly valuable commodity.....
Click to expand...
continues.............
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Crabnet said:
The big builders have created this mess and must be held responsible for it. They made this problem and they alone should be forced to fix it. Lend Lease and Leighton Holdings could act in unison and change their policies tomorrow. They could declare union EBAs unnecessary and worthless. Union officials would then have nothing to sell and no ability to stand over small business people.
continues.............
Click to expand...


Take one step back from this position: the building company has quoted to do a project for a fixed cost subject to the contract, the builder is taking the risk on timely completion, contractual risk, weather, price fluctuations etc.

The union has no risk: if they do nothing, the status quo remains; if they achieve a new EBA, they're heroes; if they lose, the award stands.


The developer has project risk - the longer the project takes, the higher the interest bill & lower the irr.

It is far more expedient for the developer to agree the EBA before the project starts than to risk the interest costs blowing out at $25k+/per day.
 
LibGS said:
The royal commission should be thorough. Will it also look at allegations that Grocon used bikies to intimidate striking workers?

Grocon 'enlisted Hells Angel' to frighten strikers
Click to expand...


Bikies seen talking to safety officers? Perhaps they were there to remind GROCON of who Setka is buddies with?

Striking workers would be privy to nothing. They wouldn't know who the bikies were working for?

John Setka is one of the biggest thugs within the unions and has known connections with criminals.

Do some research.

Remember GROCON doesn't run the show, the CFMEU does.
 
weg said:
Bikies seen talking to safety officers? Perhaps they were there to remind GROCON of who Setka is buddies with?

Striking workers would be privy to nothing. They wouldn't know who the bikies were working for?

John Setka is one of the biggest thugs within the unions and has known connections with criminals.

Do some research.

Remember GROCON doesn't run the show, the CFMEU does.
Click to expand...

The inquiry into the collapsed wall on Swanston St gave me a really good idea who is running the show.

If you post some links I'd be happy to conduct further research.
 
LibGS said:
The inquiry into the collapsed wall on Swanston St gave me a really good idea who is running the show.

If you post some links I'd be happy to conduct further research.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't read too much into 'articles' like the one you posted.

If I had a week and could be bothered I'd post lists of links - the 1000's of copies of damning documents (witness statements, police reports, court reports, stat decs, etc.) as well as statements and quotes made by ex union officials, police, industrial 'Labor' lawyers, and Labor Party members themselves.

That's just what's on the record. Hopefully the RC will have wide reaching powers to be able to bring out the full extent of what appears 'normal' widespread corrupt culture that has been going on for years (some of the most shameful stuff occurred during WW2), and which has tentacles reaching to some very high and unusual places - includes some building companies (like Thiess) but that doesn't mean the building companies are in control or even aware of any 'private' negotiations that might be going on.
 
CFMEU veteran received death threats after blowing whistle

A building union stalwart says he received death threats after he tried to stop his union's dealings with a Sydney crime figure.
Brian Fitzpatrick, a senior industrial officer and 25-year veteran of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union in NSW, said the infiltration of organised crime into the union had plunged it into a "crisis" and called for "a very serious clean-up."
Click to expand...

The revelations come with the Australian Crime Commission confirming it is working with NSW Police, the NSW Crime Commission and Victorian Police "in respect to ongoing investigations into organised crime links to the building and construction industry."
Click to expand...
 
Trippy said:
John Setka is the next to go! Watch the rats start scurrying now :p

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/21153349...e-work-in-return-for-peace-on-building-sites/
Click to expand...

The strangest thing is that the people in power and in big business knew that this was happening for so long and if you run the statistics backwards that are scalable where will it stop??and who else will it bring into the limelight,one ex union boss gets caught in a"Bordell" and starts to bring down the "union" deck of cards..
 
LibGS said:
The royal commission should be thorough. Will it also look at allegations that Grocon used bikies to intimidate striking workers?

Grocon 'enlisted Hells Angel' to frighten strikers
Click to expand...

That was bikie, not bikies, and an assumption by workers that it was Grocon using them.

Far more likely to be QLD Hells Angel bikie boss, who worked in Setkas girlfriend's business along with her one time 'underworld' business partner, who also happens to be mates with Mick Gatto.

7.30 Report part 2...

http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/news

I suppose we'll find out soon enough just who's working for who when they're questioned under oath - the bits that aren't already on police intelligence record anyway.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ruby
The Player Interview
Replies
0
Views
11K
Ruby
Ruby
Sunstone
New Billboard Advertising Articles -Property Council of Australia
Replies
0
Views
6K
Sunstone
Sunstone
Back
Top