
Issue No 113		28 September 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Letters to the Editor

Hamberger on Stellar

Dear Editor,

I refer to your recent article entitled "Stellar Drops Union Ban". I was very pleased that my intervention in this matter was able to resolve the issues at hand swiftly and in a manner that ensured that employees' rights to representation by their trade union were upheld.

Stellar Call Centres Pty Ltd had a policy which stated that employees were entitled to be accompanied by another employee when attending meetings with management over grievances or disputes. I was concerned that the policy could be applied in such a way as to exclude union representation at such meetings.

As a result, I wrote to Stellar and sought a change to the policy so that it is clear that employees can have a union representative present at such meetings. Stellar responded by making the necessary changes to their policy.

I have also made it clear to Stellar that the OEA will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the changed policy is being implemented and that staff are aware of the changes to the policy.

I also undertook to meet with the CPSU to discuss potential specific cases where the freedom of association provisions for the Workplace Relations Act had been breached by Stellar. Following the changes in policy, the CPSU declined to bring forward any specific cases and requested that no formal action be taken against Stellar.

I am happy not to proceed with litigation against Stellar at this stage as it is clear that the employer has been willing to take steps to ensure that employees have proper representation.

I believe that this is a good example of the sort of work that the OEA has undertaken to protect the rights of employees to freedom of association.

AWAs do not reduce the right of employees to be a member of a union, nor do they prevent employees being represented by a union.

Recently published research indicates that around one in four employees with AWAs are union members. The great majority of these union members indicated that they are willing to negotiate their pay and conditions directly with their employer. They clearly, however, still wish - reasonably - to have access to the benefits of union membership.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Hamberger

Employment Advocate

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Issue 113 contents

Interview: The Custodian
Labor's arts spokesman Bob McMullan on the role government can play in nurturing national culture.

Media: Chucking a Wobbly
Veronica Apap meets Dan Buhagiar, the programmer of Labor Council's new online initiative, Wobbly Radio.

E-Change: 3.3 Unleashing a Networked Culture
Politics does not occur in a vacuum - it's is as much a product of its culture as it is an influence on it. In the post-Industrial Age how will this relationship change?

Unions: Are You a Terrorist?
Away from the talkback noise, Mark Hearn reports on how a Sydney workforce is taking up the cause of racial understanding and tolerance.

Organising: STAA Performers
Film industry workers are acting collectively to ensure they don't become Mexicans with Mobiles.

Workplace: Making Art Work
The Workers Cultural Action Committee is a community cultural development provider. What is this? And what does it mean for the union movement?

History: Creative Alliances
Neale Towart wanders through the archives to look at how unions' have worked with artists to promote progressive casuses.

Performance: Tales from the Shop Floor
Peter Murphy profiles Sydney's New Theatre and the role it has played in fostering working culture.

Review: Homegroan
In an extract from her new book, The Money Shot, Jane Mills argues that the local film industry needs more than patriotism to get bums on seats.

Satire: PM Pleads To Nauru: Take Our Aborigines Too
In the wake of Nauru�s acceptance of the Tampa refugees, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has struck a new deal with the small island nation to take our Aborigines as well.

» Abbott Stacks Commission on Election Eve

» Trades Hall to Be Fit for the Arts

» Olympic Builders Honoured in Oil

» Terror Shockwaves Hit Security Workers

» The Ansett Phoenix Rises

» 'The General' Makes Ansett Stand

» One Dollar Workforce Highlights Workcover Concerns

» Email Workers Saved

» Union Power Gets Tilers Paid In Full

» NSW Nurses (Pro)Claim Their Worth

» AOL Sheds Non-Union Staff

» Building Inquiry Faces First Test of Integrity

» Telstra Guilty Over Union Discrimination

» Paint Workers Finish the Job

» New Project Agreement A Template

» The Workers United, Need a New Slogan!

» Activists Notebook