Around the country we’re winning everyday. In workplaces big and small, members are getting results by standing together.
Take a look here at some of the wins we’ve had lately and know the union’s always got your back.
It’s been in the news lately, but unpaid super has always been on our radar.
Your union is continually winning cases for members about unpaid super. It is shocking just how often this occurs to so many workers.
These wins - sometimes of huge amounts of unpaid super - are often low profile due to strict confidentiality clauses but here’s two cases we can share and celebrate.
In Victoria, AMWU members working at the Hazelwood power plant have been going through a difficult time with the looming closure of the plant.
Other than the transition packages and the early retirement bundles that our union has negotiated and won for our Hazelwood members, these workers have another reason to hold their heads high, after the union successfully recovered almost $400,000 of unpaid superannuation for maintenance workers at the site.
The AMWU discovered the discrepancy in the superannuation payments in 2015, and have spent the past 18 months chasing maintenance contractor Fluor to repay the full amount to the permanent and casual workers.
In all, 440 workers added an extra $367,000 to their superannuation funds as a result of the unions’ efforts.
AMWU Members from Fluor contracting at Hazelwood
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In Perth, the WA branch has had a big win recovering superannuation for members from another employer who has failed to pay.
Industrial Officer Pearl Lim recently recovered over $20,000 in unpaid superannuation for two members.
Over the course of 7 years, the two members (who do not speak English, so the union organised a translator) were systematically underpaid their superannuation.
Ms Lim’s advice to all union members reading this is to get in touch with your branch if you don't think you're being paid your correct superannuation.
"It’s every worker’s right to get super and we can help you recover it - it's illegal not to pay it."
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Taking the prize for the biggest example of union solidarity so far this year is the small Victorian town of Echuca and our members at Parmalat.
The major French dairy conglomerate, after applying to Fair Work to have the current EBA cancelled, proceeded to then lock out over 70 of its workers who had taken protected action.
Parmalat definitely picked the wrong group of workers to have this fight with, all of them being strong union members.
The workers set up camp outside the Parmalat site, not letting up and taking every opportunity to negotiate to maintain their job security and halt Parmalat’s attacks on their wages and conditions.
62 days later Parmalat bowed to their pressure and the proud AMWU members tasted sweet victory - thanks to their strength and to the support they received from union members around the country.
