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| Issue No 20 |  |
02 July 1999 |
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NewsBruised Not Beaten: FSU Battles On
The Finance Sector Union says its failure to defeat a non-union ballot will not stop its efforts to unionise Westpac's finance company AGC.
Workers at AGC voted to accept the non-union deal 62 per cent to 38 per cent despite a vigorous union campaign to reject it and seek a better deal. But FSU state secretary Geoff Derrick says the union is heartened by the inroads it made, after starting with just three per cent of the members. The ballot was important to the FSU because AGC is the only wholly-owned finance company to offer lower wages and conditions than those paid to bank employees. the union had argued for parity given the merging differences between AGC and Westpac staff. While the deal entrenches a lower rate for AGC, Derrick is confident the bank will put broader plans to set AGC wages as the benchmark on hold. "If the bank struggled this hard to get the deal through what was effectively a non-union shop,m I think it will now be very reluctant to try to push this type of agreement in areas where the union is more active," Derrick says. Derrick says the union was always behing the eight-ball in campaigning against the deal: "We were effectively ambushed,. As soon as we became acitve the employer pulled on the ballto and we ran out of time." He says the FSU was also hindered by federal laws that allow an employer to release a document, immediately open a ballot which lasts 14 days to approve a n agreement which last three years. "We come away stronger in AGC than ever before," Derrick says, "It's given us a platform and a profile. We've identified a number of workplace issues such as hours of work and the pay system, which we will work with our members to pursue within the company over the life of the agreement." The next key date for AGC staff is October when workers will submit to performance assessment in order to get a pay rise. The FSU will be ready to assist, Derrick says. "We understand this sort of pay system and the inconsistencies that can flow from it.
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   Interview: They�re Not All BastardsThe Australian Industry Group�s Roger Boland is one employer representative who believes trade unions will continue to play an important role in the economy - and society - of the future. Unions: Always the Pay is No GoodFair Wear's campaign for clothing industry homeworkers is changing the way we think about consuming. History: A Refreshing AdvanceWomen workers organising in the NSW Rail and Tramways Department Refreshment Rooms in the 1920s. International: MAI Back on the AgendaAfter being ditched in the wake of an international cyber-protest, the World Trade Organisation is trying to salvage the MAI from the ashes. International: Courage Against the OddsA Cuban trade union leader urges for a 30 year blockade to be lifted, with a fundraiser to be held this Thursday. Review: Without You I'm NothingBritish pop music doesnt come any better than Placebo.
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