The Victorian Branch of the Plumbing Trades Employees Union (PTEU) has organised a stop work meeting to be held on Thursday, 16 October 2008. The meeting is to be held at the Dallas Brooks Hall in East Melbourne.
The ABCC has a responsibility to advise building industry participants about their legal rights and obligations. This includes providing information about stop work meetings. This is a function conferred on the ABCC by the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act 2005 (BCII Act).
Employees who fail to attend for work in order to attend the meeting may be engaging in unlawful industrial action. It is a contravention of the BCII Act to engage in unlawful industrial action.
It is possible that an employee can participate in the stop work meeting without engaging in unlawful industrial action if:
- the absence from work is authorised by the employer in advance and in writing; or
- the employee is granted annual leave for the day in question.
The ABCC will investigate any complaint made to it about possible unlawful industrial action.
Related documents:
Fact sheet - Unlawful industrial action in the building and construction industry