UnionsWA has welcomed the report today that the WA State Government will move to close a loophole that has meant employers have been claiming payroll tax exemptions for trainees.

You might be forgiven for thinking that an industrial dispute involving a small number of workers in the WA rural community of Collie might not matter much to you. If so, you'd be wrong. The implications of the Griffin Coal dispute are profound and will resonate up to and beyond the next federal election.

Meredith Hammat, UnionsWA Secretary, addressing striking workers of Collie.

UnionsWA has commented on the recent release by SafeWork Australia of the latest data on work fatalities in Australia, including WA.  These are the most reliable figures available on work fatalities and provide data on work fatality rates per 100,000 workers over five years to 2015-16. They show the fatality rate in WA worsening from 1.5 in 2011-12 to 1.7 in 2015-16. Over these years, WA is the only state or territory in Australia where the work fatality rate both deteriorated and has been worse than the national average.  

UnionsWA has today commented on the announcement by the WA Government of a review of West Australian industrial relations system. Over 100,000 working West Australians are covered under these WA laws, including those on the WA Minimum Wage, apprentices, trainees and those employed in small business.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) (WA Division) is seeking applications for a full-time, on-going Level 6 or 7 Division Industrial Officer position, which is available immediately, and an on-going Level 7 Division Industrial Officer or Level 8 Senior Industrial Officer, to commence in mid-October 2017. 

UnionsWA has commented on the release of the first Budget by the Mc Gowan Labor Government critical of the planned loss of 3,000 public sector.

UnionsWA has commented on the release by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of new data that shows the difference in pay between women and men in Western Australia remains the worst in the country, despite a slight improvement.  In an environment of low wages growth generally, increases in pay for men over the past three years have been about half the increases in the lower wages of women.

 UnionsWA and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) have today released the WA results of a survey on work and care responsibilities. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has just launched its new campaign to Change the Rules for Working Women & Families. As part of that campaign the ACTU is running a case in the Fair Work Commission seeking to establish a right to reduced hours of work in order to attend to care needs. 

The WA Make It Fair Survey Report is available here.

UnionsWA has today commented on the decision by WA Industrial Relations Commission in the State Wage Case, which sets wages for around a hundred thousand working West Australians on the WA Minimum Wage and reliant awards including many trainees and apprentices.

UnionsWA today welcomed an announcement by the McGowan Government that it would legislate to increase compensation for families of workplace fatalities.