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Issue No. 186 | 11 July 2003 |
Beyond the Possible
Interview: As They Say In The Bible ... Industrial: Just Doing It Unions: Breaking Into the Boys Club Activists: Making the Hard Yards Bad Boss: In the Pooh Unions: National Focus Economics: Pop Will Eat Itself Technology: Dean for President International: Rangoon Rumble Education: Blackboard Jungle Review: From Weakness to Strength Poetry: Downsized
Stop Thief: Shelf Company Owes Millions Smokescreen Clouds Morris McMahon Win Ruddock Urged to Block Immigration Scam Silicon Workers Seize Their Valley Fire, Pepper Spray all in a Day�s Work
The Soapbox The Locker Room Postcard
Tom's Lessons
Labor Council of NSW |
News Seven Bowls Bouncer at Umpire
That claim is one of a number of Channel Seven demands behind the breakdown of EBA negotiations with the MEAA and CPSU, representing more than 1000 workers. Channel Seven wants employees' rights to put grievances before the IRC written out of the document. Instead, it argues, they should pay for an independent mediator and, if that fails, the final decision should rest with the company's own Human Resources Department. Unions have had the network in front of the Commission on a number of issues in the last 18 months, including its application of holiday and redundancy entitlements. It also bowled up a three percent pay offer, on basics rather than paid rates, which it can unilaterally revise down during the life of the agreement. Channel Seven contracted an outside lawyer to work up a draft agreement and has refused to negotiate on anything falling outside its scope. The last two-year agreement expired in July, 2002, and employees are still waiting for any improvement on wages or conditions. Seven has wrapped its proposal into a non-union agreement and, last week, upped the stakes in its bid to prevent unions having meaningful contact with their members on the issue. Seven took the MEAA before the Federal Court, alleging a telephone survey of its members attitudes to the proposal amounted to "unlawful coercion". The case was adjourned after the company told the judge it wanted to call an "expert witness" who could give evidence on the effect of such questioning on a "timid man". MEAA assistant national secretary, Mark Ryan, called Seven's court action "an absolute try-on". "I haven't found too many timid people in the world of commercial television," he said. "We asked exactly the same question that is asked in Newspoll surveys. We had quite a good relationship with Seven up until last year. This bargaining round has marked a real change of approach by the company." Voting on the non-union proposal closes on Monday and the result should be known on Wednesday.
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