[ad_1]
Key events
Treasurer to discuss union’s collective bargaining proposal ahead of jobs summit
Workers and their union representatives want to be able to negotiate deals on pay and conditions with multiple employers at once. The Australian Council of Trade Unions is taking these proposed changes to the fair work laws to the government’s jobs summit.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking to ABC Radio ahead of the summit which will be held next week.
Sydney cops second rail strike of the week
Sydney commuters face a second day of train strikes this week, with major delays expected across inner city and suburban lines, AAP reports.
Rail strikes are planned for Thursday with workers at City Circle and Redfern to walk off the job, while suburban trains will run on reduced timetables as workers come from other parts of the network to fill the gaps.
The industrial action comes two days after a chaotic Tuesday on Sydney’s rail network, with the T1, T7 and T9 lines impacted and the T5 line prevented from operating.
On Wednesday, employee relations minister Damien Tudehope called on the Rail, Tram and Bus Union to give up on industrial action, saying an agreement was close to being reached which would satisfy union demands.
The government and union are engaged in a long-running dispute over a fleet of Korean-built new intercity trains, which the union says are unsafe and require modifications.
The fleet was designed for drivers to monitor platforms via CCTV, with a risk a driver would not be able to see if someone had fallen through the gap between platform and train.
Tudehope said a deed had been presented to the RTBU on Wednesday afternoon, which had been negotiated over a two-week period to please the union. He said:
We call on the union today to execute that document and to call off the industrial activity, which has inconvenienced the people and commuters of this state.
However, Tudehope conceded the deed had not yet been signed by either party, and the RTBU maintained it was too late to avert planned strikes on Thursday.
The RTBU said it had received the deed ten minutes before Tudehope stepped out for his media appearance.
In a statement on Wednesday night, the union’s NSW secretary Alex Claassens dismissed calls from the government to call off industrial action, saying the government was aware it was too late:
Now that a deed has finally been received, we will go through our usual democratic processes and discuss the situation with our elected delegates.
The government knows that it has given us this new deed far too late for any actions planned for tomorrow.
The RTBU said it would follow regular processes while considering the government’s offer.
The union is expected to make a statement on Thursday morning.
‘A failure as shameful as robodebt leaves questions only a royal commission can examine’: Luke Henriques-Gomes
A royal commission into robodebt is expected to be announced today. If you’re wondering why the commission is needed after a class action was successful, my colleague Luke Henriques-Gomes – who won a Walkley award for his coverage of the issue – gives you the answer.
Good morning!
The government is set to announce a royal commission into the failed robodebt scheme today, fulfilling the election promise they made to address what the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has described as a “human tragedy.”
Albanese is expected to announce the details of the commission, which will examine how welfare debts were unlawfully issued to 443,000 people.
A class action launched by the victims of the scheme was successful in 2021, but the former government never detailed who was accountable.
Also, the Greens are urging the government to freeze rent rises for two years to avoid a “national tragedy”. The party says the issue of rental affordability should be elevated to national cabinet ahead of next week’s jobs and skills summit.
You can read the full story from Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, Sarah Martin:
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) want to see more options for collective bargaining, including multi-employer or sector bargaining, which would allow multiple workplaces to make an agreement together.
The proposed changes to fair work laws would help employees raise wages, according to the ACTU.
In Formula One news, Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo is set to leave McLaren after the British F1 team terminated his contract early.
Let’s get going!
[ad_2]
Source link
