Disciplining union members for engaging in conduct during the course of union activities (like protests) can be fraught with risk. Employers may quickly find themselves faced with an adverse action claim, as was the case when BHP terminated a mineworker who had displayed the sign “No principles SCABS No guts” at a protest outside the front gates of BHP’s Saraji Mine in Queensland.
Continue Reading Are union members protected if they misbehave while participating in union activities?
protest
Protest action – employees walking off the job
Posted in Workplace policy and process
Recent months have seen a number of prominent protests in Australian cities with visible union involvement. For example, since June, we have seen the CFMEU protesting outside the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption, steelworkers protesting at the Port of Melbourne, and large union-organised protests against the federal budget in state capitals.
Continue Reading Protest action – employees walking off the job