A strange alliance is emerging in the city of Moreland local council elections the merging of two political elites ,it seems that the dynasties of local former ALP member Carlo Carli and a section of the de Bruyn clan famously associated with the shop assistants union are coming together .
Are the people of Moreland about to experience a new political force in the city. The de Bruyn faction !!!!!
Following revelations from Fairfax media of the wholesale wage theft of workers in the retail and fast food industry and the collusion of the shop assistants union with all major employers and their employer bodies raises two questions
WHICH IS THE BIGGEST CRIME?
Latest estimates of the shonky wage enterprise agreement between the union and employers has cost low paid workers in both sectors up to $300 million a year as part of a no ticket no start agreement which has been outlawed in this country.
The union has been able to subject workers to inferior wage agreements hand in hand with employer groups.
NO TICKET NO START
Let me explain in simple terms how the rort works ,companies such as Mc Donalds who are fiercely anti union are approached by the union with a deal that suits employers by having wages lowered and penalty rates abolished for all employees.
The second part of the deal is that because of the fabulous offer the employer will encourage all present and future employees to become financial union members.
The third part of this fabulous offer is that the unions numbers would be inflated giving the union exceptional leverage at Labor Party conferences and at preselection for members of Parliament in the faction riven organisation .
Having colluded with all the employer groups the union will submit the agreements to Fair Work Australia lying that the wage agreements are in the employees best interest and swear that the no disadvantage test applies.
The no disadvantage test means that no employee will be worse of under the new agreement as opposed to the award.
The new agreement then has to be put to and voted on by a majority of employees ,the sting in the tale here is that as some employees are unaware they are union members because the employers have been secretly paying money to the union under false names as part of the secret deal or because of the casual and transient nature of their employment they are denied a vote.
Mostly young people in companies such as Coles or Woolworths are encouraged by the local managers to join the union not knowing why, or not questioning the manager for fear of losing the job opportunity.
The companies then select a compliant union member to put the new wage deal to employees putting a Rosy slant on the agreement
The second question that needs to be answered here is which is the biggest crime.
Stealing employees wages to the tune of $ 300 million a year ? or falsely submitting inflated membership numbers to both Fair Work Australia and the Labor party to increase their influence in preselection battles
GOVERNMENT MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
Which leads us to reasonably assume that the inflated membership numbers greatly influence the role the shop assistants union exerts within the Labor party.
The Union is extremely conservative, opposed to abortion and contraception, so is only willing to endorse members of parliament holding the same views generally .
Once again we can reasonably assume that at least 6 members of the current parliament are supporters of this extremely conservative group having been preselected on the inflated or corrupt methods engaged in by the union .
The shop assistants union has its roots in the old DLP and should have no influence in the current politics of the Labor Party but because of factions within the party if it is to remain a progressive organisation.
Huge penalties even jail should be available to the courts ,to the union and their employer mates for submitting false evidence under oath to Fair Work Australia ,more importantly for wage theft resulting in workers being robbed of $300 million a year .
Workers should be demanding that the union and employers should be jailed for this act of wages theft .
Kathy Jackson your looking like Mother Theresa more each day