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 About Us  About Unions NSWAbout UnionsWho's WhoInformation Centre What's Going On? Annual Reports    
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Chris Christodoulou, Deputy Assistant Secretary
Organising
Chris had responsibility for a range of matters during 2003 including the Building and Construction Industry, the Secure Employment Test Case, assistance to the Rugby League Professionals Association, and a number of disputes which have arisen during the year. Building and Construction IndustryTo say this has been a watershed year in the building and construction industry would be an understatement. The building and construction unions, and in particular the CFMEU, have been under attack by the Howard Government with the establishment of the Building and Construction Taskforce, and the introduction of draconian legislation designed to attack the fundamental organising rights of the building unions here in NSW. Our response has been to continue to organise workers in this crucial sector of the economy. Project Awards/AgreementsChris, with the assistance of other Labor Council Officers, has negotiated over 25 Project Awards and Agreements on the following projects:
Collectively the Project awards/agreements cover over $4 billion worth of construction work in NSW. This has been a great result for the building and construction unions and the Labor Council alike. AWU – CFMEU DemarcationThe Pact that the Building and Construction Unions entered into in 2002 was severely tested by a bitter demarcation dispute between the AWU and CFMEU in relation to the Parramatta to Chatswood Rail Tunnel. This dispute highlighted a major deficiency in the Pact. As a consequence of the dispute the Labor Council insisted that it would not put further resources into the civil construction sector until the two unions were prepared to work with each other. To their credit, and following extensive negotiations under the auspices of
the Labor Council, the AWU and CFMEU finally agreed to settle their differences
in the civil construction area by allowing the Labor Council to arbitrate the
remaining differences between the unions. This is a very significant outcome
which has already paid dividends in securing some major collective agreements in
the civil sector. Civil Construction BenchmarksThis new-found relationship between the AWU and CFMEU has seen the Labor Council and the two unions establish new wages and conditions benchmarks in a number of project and enterprise bargaining agreements in the civil construction sector, particularly in the Cross City Tunnel Project Enterprise and Project Award, the Leightons AbiGroup Western Sydney Orbital Enterprise Agreement and the AbiGroup Civil Enterprise Agreement. Application of Project AwardsChris was also involved in establishing the application of project awards in
NSW. A decision by Justice Walton in the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW
in 2003, upheld a provision in project awards. This puts an obligation on the
Principal Contractor to ensure that employees of subcontractors are not paid
less than the minimum standards set out in a project award. Deaths in the Building Industry
Building and Construction Industry Improvement Bill 2003
Department of Commerce Heritage and Building Section Dispute
Goulburn Correctional Centre Entitlements
Dispute
During the course of the year Waller Constructions went into receivership
whilst constructing extensions to Goulburn Correctional Centre. Over $1
million was left owing to subcontractors and workers. Chris assisted the construction unions to ensure that no further construction
took place at Goulburn Gaol until a settlement of the matter was reached.
BHP KSS DisputeDuring the year the Labor Council was requested by the AMWU, ETU and AWU Port Kembla to intervene in the BHP Port Kembla contracting out dispute with respect to Kembla Site Services. The dispute had been on going for almost 18 months and involved BHP contracting out its Kembla Site Services Department to Allied and Berkley Challenge. Following negotiations and Commission hearings, involving Chris, all employees affected by the contracting out were guaranteed employment and no reduction in wages and conditions. Secure Employment Test CaseChris has been co-ordinating the Labor Council’s Secure Employment Test
Case assisted by Industrial Officer, Nancy Carl. The Case, which will be
determined by the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW in 2004, is a watershed
in determining whether real rights can be provided for the millions of casuals
who have been forced into insecure employment.
Rugby League Professional Association
Dispute/NRL
During the course of the year the Rugby League Professionals Association
affiliated with the Labor Council and sought assistance in negotiating a
Collective Agreement with the NRL and NRL
Clubs. Chris was involved in the negotiations, including a two-day negotiation conference with the NRL, which the Secretary of Labor Council co-chaired with Malcolm Noad, Chairman of the NRL Board. It would be an understatement to say that this has, and continues to be, a challenging set of negotiations. Whilst the parties have agreed on the majority of issues, a number of key outstanding matters are holding up the Collective Agreement. Chris will continue to assist in having these matters resolved in early 2004. Five Star Linen DisputeDuring the course of the year the Labor Council and the TCFUA campaigned publicly to expose the decision by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Health to import its linen from China. The decision to stop using NSW prisons and Australian made fabric cost 25 full-time textile jobs and placed further pressure on NSW prisons to find employment opportunities to help rehabilitate prisoners. The dispute highlighted deficiencies in Government Procurement Policy.
Whilst this dispute was not resolved to the satisfaction of unions, the ALP
Conference unanimously adopted a procurement resolution, drafted by Chris, which
attempts to stop such inappropriate decisions being made in the future. Work
will commence in 2004 to have the Annual Conference resolution implemented by
the state government. When Workers Unite – banners, posters and badges Exhibition WollongongDuring 2003 Chris and the Labor Council librarian, Neale Towart, co-ordinated with the South Coast Labour Council an exhibition of Trade Union banners, posters and badges entitled “When Workers Unite” at Wollongong City Art Gallery. The exhibition was organised in Wollongong as part of the South Coast Labour Council’s 75th Anniversary celebrations. State Election CampaignDuring 2003 Chris was allocated to spend three weeks in the seat of
Burrinjuck as part of our ongoing commitment to assist in targeted
seats. Other ResponsibilitiesChris continues to play an active role on the following bodies:
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