Apple's treatment of 4000 workers as "un-Australian"

On Friday, Apple will be brought before the Fair Work Commission for allegedly attempting to "illegally" pressure Australian employees into signing a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

In a joint statement issued by the two unions on Tuesday, the Australian Services Union (ASU) and Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) blasted Apple for allegedly preventing union organizers from speaking to workers.

The unions claim that after their request to extend the deadline for the consultation process to August 19 was denied, Apple tried to pressure its workers into signing a "unseemly" arrangement.

According to unions, Apple's demands may result in pay cuts for more than 4000 workers. Picture by Damian Shaw for NCA Newswire

Throughout the procedure, Apple has refuted claims that it set any timelines.

Apple has been accused of making "undue haste" toward a collective bargaining agreement that could result in pay cuts for more than 4000 workers, according to SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer.

He claimed that the draft enterprise agreement was only made available to the staff on August 3.

They met for the first time a week or so later. There was no invitation to that meeting for the SGA or the ASU.

"We are here trying to play catch up with a company that is throwing its workforce around and moving too quickly," said the speaker.

For these reasons, according to Mr. Dwyer, they would take Apple before the Fair Work Commission.

"Their approach, we say, is not ethical, and we also will allege that their approach is unlawful this Friday in the Fair Work Commission," he said.

The SDA and ASU will be asking the commission for good faith bargaining orders against Apple on Friday.

The Fair Work Commission would conclude that Apple was not bargaining in good faith, he claimed, adding that he was "quite certain" of this.

Emeline Gaske, assistant national secretary of the Australian Services Union, claimed that young Apple employees may work 60 hours per week without receiving overtime. Picture: Gaye Gerard for NCA Newswire

Numerous ideas made by Apple, according to the ASU and SDA, were "unfair" to workers.

It claimed that the multinational corporation's proposed 2.5% minimum wage hike was considerably below inflation, that rostering rules were lacking to promote a healthy work-life balance, and that most young Apple employees could put in 60 hours a week without getting paid overtime.

Apple claimed that its staff members receive "extremely strong reward" for their efforts, which includes yearly stock grants.

Apple's suggested demands to its employees, according to ASU Assistant National Secretary Emeline Gaske, are "unethical."

"Apple's proposed deal might be illegal, and its attempts to jam through a poor agreement that would require most of its employees to work up to 60 hours a week without getting paid overtime is unethical," she said.

"Apple's actions are inconsistent with the community's expectations on the eve of the National Jobs Summit, when businesses and employees are expected to be finding common ground and collaborating for a fairer workplace environment.

Employees were already having difficulties with Apple's work agreements, according to SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer. Picture: Gaye Gerard for NCA Newswire

Mr. Dwyer continued, calling Apple's actions "just un-Australian."

Apple strives to present itself as a high-end business with high-end goods. Instead of trying to sneak through a deal that would see its Australian workers advance backward, it should be pursuing prestigious working conditions, according to him.

"Apple employees, who already struggle with the expense of living, would find it even harder to pay for food, fuel, shelter, and other necessities of life with inflation at six percent and climbing.

"Its behavior is just plain un-Australian for a firm that generates at least $11 billion in profits annually from its Australian operations."

In an effort to create a new enterprise agreement, Apple stated that it would continue to engage with its employees.

It released a statement saying, "We are proud to have an exceptional team of close to 4000 people in Australia and we sincerely respect everything they do to Apple, and to our customers."

In order to deliver innovative products and services, we need to support and keep the best team members, thus we're happy to provide very competitive pay for all of our teams around the nation, including annual stock grants.

"We welcomed the chance for participation and engagement with our team members when we first announced our plan to develop a new enterprise agreement in early August.

"Apple has not imposed any deadlines throughout this process, and we will continue to meet frequently to share information and welcome comments."

Additional negotiations are slated to take place this week.