
Issue No 104		27 July 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

News

Strike by Airport Guards Lawful

Group 4 Securitas had a knockback from the courts when they were told a strike by by LHMU Security Union members at Melbourne Airport was not illegal.

"It was a blatant attempt to mug our members into submission - but they failed to get the courts to side with them, " Terry Breheny, LHMU Security Union Victorian Assistant Secretary said.

"The company has been told to get back to the bargaining table - and to put back onto that table their original offer to our members. This was the offer that they snatched away earlier in the week just as our members' were about to take a vote.

Senior Deputy President Brian Lacy of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission said he did not believe the rolling 24-hour stoppages by union members employed by Group 4 Securitas was causing any danger to passengers.

Group 4 tried to have the LHMU strike declared illegal, and argued at the IRC for the ending of the bargaining period because industrial action was endangering the life, personal safety or health of passengers.

Senior Deputy President Lacy said he was 'mystified' by the Ansett application because they had provided no evidence to back up their arguments.

LHMU Security Union members had walked off the job on July 10 as part of their industrial campaign. But earlier this week they were to hear a report from union delegates on the state of the negotiations.

" Just as we were about to report on Monday evening the company withdraw all their offers so on Monday evening the members reacted and walked off the job for 24 hours.

" The bosses then tried to put a legal stop on any further industrial action - but they failed.

" They have instead been told to come back to the union within the next seven days with a proper offer.

" The company wanted the courts to give them a leg up - they failed. Now we'll wait to see if the company listens properly to what the court had told them to do."

More than 140 security guards at Melbourne airport working for both Group 4 Securitas and Chubb have been involved in this industrial campaign. The LHMU Security Union has close to 100 per cent membership among security guards working at the airport.

Read an earlier story about the airport security guards campaign

Pay offer snatch triggers security strike

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  Issue 104 contents

Interview: A Super Agenda
Labor's federal spokesman on superannuation Kelvin Thompson outlines the challenges a Beazley Government will face in managing the nation's savings.

E-Change: 1.4 The Shifting Sands of Ideology
Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel conclude the first part of their study of new politics by looking for core Labor values in a post-Cold War environment.

Corporate: Locking Horns
The same names keep cropping up in the business pages as the web of corporate control stays tied to a few big players. Georgina Murray has been looking at the extent and depth of the connections.

Unions: The Workers Bank
With banks on the nose, David Whiteley looks at how unions and super funds have got together to create the real deal � the workers bank.

International: Phil Davey's Amazon Postcard
The CFMEU's Boy Wonder has downed the megaphone for three months in South America. Here's what he's been up to.

History: Faded Vision of The American Bounder
King O'Malley was an American ex-pat who dreamed of a people's bank. Neale Towart looks at what happened to his vision.

Activists: The Big Gee-Up
With the big guns of the anti-corporate movement in town, Mark Hebblewhite goes looking for a definition of globalisation.

Indonesia: Where to the Workers After Gus Dur?
At the end of a turbulent week, Jasper Goss looks at the impact of the overthrow of Wahid on Indonesian workers.

Review: Mixing Pop and Politics
'The Bank' is a new Australian film that takes a contemporary political issue and transforms it into a piece of compelling popular culture.

Satire: Milosevic's Defence: "I Was Just Issuing Orders"
Disgraced former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has brushed off against charges for war crimes against humanity and mass genocide.

» Community Banks Are No Collectivists

» Labor Vows to Widen Royal Commission

» WorkCover Finally Fesses Up � Premiums the Problem

» Unions Launch 56 Hour Watch

» Call Centre Campaign Bares First Fruit

» Justice at Last for One.Tel Workers

» Entitlements Push Gathers Momentum

» Employer Dirty on Leave Win

» Rights Put In Too Hard Basket

» AMA Move on Doctors� Hours Welcome

» Aussie Post Workers Rally

» Strike by Airport Guards Lawful

» Workers Rejects Brough Deal

» Unions Will March at CHOGM

» Average Response to Robberies

» Coca-Cola Sued for Using Paramilitary Force

» Activists Notebook