Postal
Decision on our ballot put off to next Monday
(14 August, 2009): Australia Post yesterday used the equivalent of a “sick note” to deliberately sabotage a hearing into your Union’s industrial action ballot application.
Under the law, Fair Work Australia (FWA) -- the body that has taken over from the Australian Industrial Relations Commission -- must consider ballot applications within two days of such applications being lodged.
Instead of making their way to Sydney for the hearing, Post’s senior managers deliberately stayed away in Melbourne.
Post claimed that “key people” weren’t available to attend the hearing. Post lawyers claimed one of their reps had to get an ingrown toenail removed so they couldn’t work – unlike Postal workers that get sent back to work with broken feet by Facility Nominated Doctors.
Australia Post has 34,000 employees. Their lawyers have offices in nearly all states of Australia. And because they “didn’t have enough people available” to attend FWA’s consideration of our application for action, our decision was put off till next Monday afternoon.
The truth is this:
- Post fabricated a convenient reason not to attend the hearing, to give themselves the weekend to prepare for their case against you.
They didn’t care if that got in the way of your rights at work or the schedule of Fair Work Australia.
They certainly didn’t care if that frustrates your democratic right to have a say on whether or not to vote in an industrial action ballot. But, worse still:
- They definitely didn’t care if this choked the smooth and proper operation of the law.
Bear this in mind: if any group of Australia Post employees walked off the job today and undertook industrial action, management would use the law to get a hearing within 48 hours to make people go back to work. If we didn’t attend, they would insist that the hearing proceed regardless. We would not have the chance to prepare our case.
There’s little balance because -- when it comes to Australia Post – they think that the law only applies the way they want it to apply, because they have the money and resources to try to make things work that way.
GET MAD AND GET EVEN
- Post’s legal pranks make the law a farce – don’t put up with it.
- If you’re not a member join by Monday
- If you’ve changed your personal details recently – contact the union today
Contact the CEPU on 1800 102 360 or let us know what you think via feedback@cepu.asn.au