BY MICK BULL
MELBOURNE The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Federated Engine Drivers and Fireman's Association (FEDFA) have reached an in-principle agreement with the Master Builders Association (MBA) over a new three-year enterprise bargaining agreement.
The new state-wide pattern agreement will complete the 36-hour week deal reached three years ago, by granting four extra paid days off. As part of this deal, from March 1, 2004, the weekly rate of pay will be divided by 36 to produce a new higher hourly rate. Overtime will be paid at double this rate, increasing the rate of pay by up to 3%.
Other key features of the agreement are pay rises of 3% for the first year, 4% for the second and 5% for the third. Travel allowances will also increase by these amounts.
Superannuation will increase from the current level of $80 per week to $95 from July 2003, to $100 the year after that, finally reaching $110 per week for the final year of the agreement. All other allowances, such as site allowances and redundancy payments, will increase by the CPI rate.
After years of campaigning by the construction unions, the CFMEU and the MBA have finally agreed to the capping of overtime. A maximum of 56 hours will be worked in any one week. The 56-hour week is usually made up of four ten-hour days, Monday to Thursday, and followed by two eight-hour days.
The unions have successfully won a majority of construction workers to this position. This is a reduction from an average of 70 hours per week.
Remarkably, neither the CFMEU nor the FEDFA had to fire a single shot to win this campaign. After the long and hard battle that both branches fought in 2000 to win the beginnings of the 36-hour week, the employers have opted to unfurl the white flag even before the old agreement has expired.
According to Victorian CFMEU secretary Martin Kingham and Victorian FEDFA president Tom Watson, the MBA's capitulation is mainly due to two factors:
Both union secretaries have commented not only on the rising militancy
of members, but also the discipline and willingness to carry out the democratically
made decisions.
A possible third reason that builders have capitulated is to head off
the spread of the 36-hour week to other states. All branches of the CFMEU
construction division have agreed to run a joint shorter hours campaign.
Because the settlement may mean there is no dispute in Victoria, during
the national campaign there will not be any protected industrial action
in that state either.
Nonetheless, both Watson and Kingham have indicated that Victoria will
still find ways and means of helping members in other states once their
battles begin.
A mass meeting of all CFMEU Construction and General division and FEDFA
members has been called to endorse the new enterprise bargaining agreement
at 10am on October 3 at Dallas Brookes Hall. The meeting will also discuss
the latest developments in the royal commission into the building industry.
From Green Left Weekly, October 2, 2002.
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