WORKERS at the Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) at Melbourne’s Webb Dock have won significant improvements to job security, working hours, and rates of pay following a three year industrial campaign.

The Maritime Union of Australia said the agreement would deliver immediate benefits to the workforce, with 75 percent of casual roles being converted to permanent jobs, along with pay increases of between 14.5 and 46.5 percent over four years, depending on employment classifications.

The MUA has now finalised agreements with VICT, DP World Australia, Hutchison, and have reached in-principle agreement with Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal, leaving Patrick as the only container terminal operator in the country where the union has been unable to successfully conclude negotiations.

The VICT enterprise agreement contains significant family-friendly provisions, including new rosters that reduce hours of work at the terminal, less reliance on overtime, vastly improved long service leave provisions, and the introduction of income protection insurance.

Job security provisions will also prevent VICT from outsourcing, offshoring, or contracting out work covered by the agreement, while workers will have input prior to any forced redundancies.

VICT and the MUA have also settled several long-running legal disputes, with both sides agreeing to terminate the matter to ensure a functional industrial relationship going forward.

MUA assistant national secretary Adrian Evans said the agreement was formally signed today following the unanimous endorsement of VICT workers yesterday.

“This is the one of the most significant agreements ever struck in the maritime industry, bringing the wages and conditions of VICT workers up to industry standards,” Mr Evans said.

“While it delivers valuable wage rises that will see the pay packets of some workers increase by 46.5 percent over the life of the agreement, the most significant provisions are around job security and the creation of 61 permanent jobs at the terminal.

“The agreement delivers provisions that protect workers from having their jobs outsourced, sent overseas, or contracted out, along with genuine negotiations before any forced redundancies take place.

“VICT’s reliance on casual labour and excessive overtime were the most significant issues for workers, which is why they took legally protected industrial action to further their campaign for permanent jobs that would provide economic security for their families.

“Without their united voice and commitment to collective action, this agreement with VICT could never have been achieved.”

Mr Evans said the agreement with VICT, which is owned by the Philippine-based global stevedoring company ICTSI, would deliver certainty for Australian business and the general community.

“This agreement follows the finalisation of enterprise agreements with almost all of Australia’s container terminal operators, including DP World Australia, Hutchison, and an in-principle deal with Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal,” he said.

“We have achieved fair agreements that properly compensate workers for delivering record productivity on the waterfront, while also providing certainty for importers, exporters, and the Australian public.

“There is now only one container terminal operator in the country, Patrick, where the union has been unable to reach a reasonable outcome, despite long-running negotiations.

“MUA members at Patrick have never worked harder than during the COVID crisis, putting in place the safety measures that have kept vital supply chains operating, guaranteeing the delivery of medical supplies and ensuring supermarket shelves remain stocked.

“While Patrick has been reaping increased profits on the back of these efforts, along with pocketing congestion and port access charges, they have refused to follow the lead of other container terminal operators and finalise a fair agreement for their workforce.”

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THE Australian Banking Association, Bank of Queensland, Beyond Bank, HSBC Australia, ING Australia, Volt, Judo Bank, Teachers Mutual Bank Ltd and Unity Bank will appear before the House Economics Committee on July 1.

The public hearing is part of the committee’s ongoing Review of the Four Major Banks and other Financial Institutions and will be conducted via videoconference. The smaller bank sector last appeared before the committee in November 2019.

Chair, Tim Wilson MP, said, "Customer-owned and foreign banks operating in Australia are not exempt from scrutiny and should be held to account in the same way that the four major banks are. Smaller banks play an important role in Australia’s financial ecosystem, and they also have responsibilities to their customers to uphold.

"The committee’s scrutiny will include the banks’ progress in implementing the recommendations of the Hayne Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and the Financial Services industry. These hearings also give the committee an opportunity to question the banks on their approach to COVID-19."

The committee will also hear from newer banking players Volt and Judo Bank for the first time.

Mr Wilson said, "Neobanks have the potential to bring competition to the banking sector, however they have a long way to go and face many challenges, as we have seen with the acquisition of 86:400 and the closure of Xinja. We are looking forward to hearing from Volt and Judo Bank on their experience and role in the future of Australia’s banking sector."

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 1 July 2021
Time: 9.15am to 5pm
Location: Videoconference

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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AUSTRALIA POST has announced agreements with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and NAB to offer banking services in Post Offices nationally for the next decade.

The landmark 10-year in-principle agreements with the two major banks allows Australia Post to support ongoing investment in the Bank@Post service in order to provide safe, reliable banking services for all Australians, particularly those in regional areas and small businesses.

The agreements also support the long-term sustainability of thousands of Licensed Post Offices and their owners, many of whom are small businesses and families who play an essential role in servicing their local communities. 

Australia Post executive general manager for community and consumer, Nicole Sheffield said today’s announcement highlighted the importance of Bank@Post which provides banking services at more than 3,500 local Post Offices.

“We know how important the local Post Office is for so many communities and small businesses – particularly in regional areas. The support of CBA and NAB will ensure access to banking services for those communities can be maintained, and additional related services introduced, to better support the needs of banking customers for the next decade,” Ms Sheffield said.

“The agreements will also allow us to invest further in our Post Office network, recognising the valuable role our people play in supporting communities across the country. Our Post Offices also play a critical role during natural disasters, emergencies and more recently through the COVID-19 pandemic with access to products and services through lockdowns and travel restrictions. 

“Australia Post looks forward to working closely with CBA, NAB and our other banking partners to continue to provide essential banking services to their customers across our national network of Post Offices.”

CBA group executive retail banking services, Angus Sullivan, said, “Millions of Australians rely on CBA to do their banking, and I’m proud that this renewed partnership gives our customers more choice with how and where they bank with us over the next decade. We know that some customers want face to face banking services and this partnership with Australia Post supports our commitment to ensuring our customers in regional Australia have ongoing access to these services at the more than 3,500 Bank@Post outlets across the country.  

“We have a strong relationship with Australia Post and investing multi millions of dollars each year for a decade in the capability, technology and security of Bank@Post outlets builds on our priority to reimagine services and ensure our customers can continue to bank easily, safely and securely whenever they visit a participating Australia Post outlet.” 

NAB group executive personal panking, Rachel Slade said, “We want to ensure we are serving our customers well no matter how they choose to bank with us. 

“Together with our branch network, this partnership means our customers have more than 4000 locations they can bank with us. It provides extra support, particularly for those remote and rural customers, to be able to access face-to-face banking services.”

Westpac’s contract with Australia Post has been extended for a further 12 months. Westpac and Australia Post have commenced negotiations around a possible new longer agreement. 

www.auspost.com.au

THE Accommodation Association today congratulated the NSW Government on its rapid provision of lockdown financial support for business but called for urgent assistance for Sydney hotels struggling to survive.

Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long said, "There’s not a hotel in Sydney that hasn’t been hard hit over the past 15 months of COVID travel bans and restrictions.

"These hotels are now sub 2 percent occupancy and facing at least 50 percent cancellation rates all the way through to August. They urgently need government support to offset this impact, to keep the doors open and to keep paying staff.
 
“The NSW Government’s support package is obviously welcome news for hotels outside metropolitan Sydney who will now be hit with school holiday cancellations, but it’s the Sydney hotels, including the larger ones, who most need help and need it now.
 
“We’ll continue to engage with government to ensure our sector and members emerge on the other side of COVID," Mr Long said.

 About the Accommodation Association

The Accommodation Association represents over 80 percent of all known accommodation providers from small regional parks, caravan parks, serviced apartments and resorts through to the largest hotel groups in the world including Accor, Hilton, Wyndham Destinations and IHG.

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