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New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that an additional 39,800 working days were lost due to industrial disputes in 2024, compared to the previous year.
In the December 2024 quarter alone, 69 workplace disputes took place, with 25,200 employees involved across eight different industries. According to the ABS data, a total of 53,800 working days were lost, an increase from 46,600 in the previous quarter.
These figures brought the total of industrial disputes for 2024 to 194, which is four less than the previous year. However, 139,100 working days were lost, which is 39,800 more than in the previous year.
As previously reported by Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand, HR Leader, Master Builders argued that this rise in working days lost by way of industrial disputes proves why a Construction Industry Compliance and Corruption Agency (CICCA) must be established by the government.
“In the middle of a housing and cost-of-living crisis, we need industry to be working at its peak,” said Shaun Schmitke, deputy chief executive and national director of IR, safety, and contracts at Master Builders.
“Long and unnecessary industrial disputes lead to higher costs and longer wait times for much-needed housing and supporting infrastructure.”
“This is exactly why the building and construction industry needs an industry-specific regulator, starting with the removal of pattern bargaining, which holds businesses and clients hostage.”
More data from the ABS showed that 37 of 43 (86 per cent) of the disputes that ended in September quarter 2024 were enterprise bargaining (EB)-related.
State-wise, the disputes in the December quarter occurred across eight states and territories, with over half (52 per cent) of the total working days lost occurring in Victoria. On top of that, over half (61 per cent) of the total working days lost were in the transport, postal and warehousing industries.
One polarising dispute that occurred in the warehousing industry and in Victoria was the stand-off between supermarket giant Woolworths and its warehousing staff.
Back on 21 November, 1,500 warehouse workers across four distributions (three in Victoria) walked off the job, partaking in 17 straight days of staunch industrial action for improved working conditions, safety, pay, and equity.
A major piece of the industrial action was a revolt against a newly implemented AI “framework”, which the United Workers Union (UWU) had previously described as a high-risk management approach to pushing workers to operate faster. The UWU’s message was clear: the workers want to be “treated as human beings, not robots”.
The result of the strike was the supermarket giant copping a major blow in its first-half profit margins – recording a 20.6 per cent decrease from a year prior in net profit.
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Kace O'Neill
