A FWC presidential member has taken a harder line on extending notice periods for protected action, rejecting Virgin Australia's bid to increase warnings of strikes and bans from three to seven days, because it would result in diminished worker bargaining power.
Container terminal operator DP World says it is facing continuing protected action by MUA members until at least November 13, as the cost of the parties' bargaining impasse mounts.
Sydney Water is facing potential industrial action as early as tomorrow, with unions this morning expected to tell the FWC that members have rejected the tribunal's recommended deal to settle their bargaining dispute.
Chevron is accusing unions of ignoring a FWC recommendation to halt industrial action set to begin on Thursday while negotiations continue today before Commissioner Bernie Riordan to iron out differences that emerged after the parties reached a settlement on September 22.
The MUA and its leaders have averted the threat of liability for alleged secondary boycotts against transport and logistics company Qube, after the union provided an undertaking this afternoon that it would withdraw that part of its planned protected action against stevedore DP World.
DP World is calling on the MUA to call off further protected action at the company's container terminals from Sunday to enable further bargaining negotiations, warning it is actively looking into "alternatives" to maintain services.
A pre-Christmas waterfront battle between the MUA and container terminal operator DP World kicks off today with a 48-hour strike in Fremantle, which started at 6am WA time, to be followed by a 44-hour stoppage in Melbourne, from noon on Sunday.
Woodside has narrowly averted impending industrial action at its North West Shelf gas platforms after reaching an in-principle deal endorsed by Offshore Alliance and ETU members this morning, while protected action ballots at Chevron are set to close today.
The Offshore Alliance and the ETU say they will hit Woodside's North West Shelf gas platforms with industrial action as early as Saturday if a bargaining meeting this week disappoints workers, as the threat of broader strikes loom.
Unions are calling on Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone workers to again reject a unilateral agreement offer and instead "lock in behind a 100% 'yes' vote" for industrial action, as offshore workers join their onshore colleagues in considering strikes at key LNG facilities.
