Labour Court recommends Boart Longyear renegotiate subcontracting agreement

The Labour Court recommended that Boart Longyear renegotiate its agreement with the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union, after a dispute over whether the company could send work to non-union contract shops. The unions argued that clause 7 barred subcontracting work to non-union shops, while the company said it applied only to contract labour working on site. The Court said the clause’s wording supported the unions’ interpretation, but that its long-standing implementation also mattered. It recommended renegotiating the agreement to reflect modern business needs while protecting employees, and said the company should provide information identifying contractors receiving outsourced work. The recommendation was signed on 22 November 1999.