Yeah but that reduction in hours could mean a cut in working overtime. So despite the pay increase which would be based of a base wage. it would still be less money for the workers.
Nah it wasn't a cut in that, it was a cut in the base hours worked for their base salary, currently it stands at 42 hours a week - the union wants that reduced to 38 hours where as the company has counter offered with 40... the union is seeking a 25% increase over 3 years and the company has offered 12% which is still good.
I just think that unions once held a place in making working conditions better for Australian workers, they achieved this for the most part but now they need to be seen to be doing something to justify their existence and the problem being that they are just over the top greedy in what they demand with no regard for the financial health of a business, They are only doing harm for the workers in the long run by being too greedy.