Australian Workplace Agreements

Howard hostage to big business: ACTU

ACTU President Sharan Burrow said that comments today by Peter Hendy of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported those of Senator Nick Minchin and showed that the Government will not stop in its ongoing attack on the working rights of Australian families, or its attempts to destroy Australia's 100 year old conciliation and arbitration system.

Commenting on Mr Hendy's statements reported by the ABC today, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:

"The Howard Government knows that their IR changes are 'violently opposed' by the Australian community, but the comments by Nick Minchin to a big business audience and supported today by Peter Hendy from ACCI -- and who is also heading up the Treasurer's Taxation Inquiry -- show that the Government is only interested in keeping big business happy on this issue

John Howard's attempt to make this issue go away should not fool workers.

The Government did not tell the community at the last election that they intended to remove unfair dismissal laws for 3.5million workers, undermine penalty rates, overtime, weekend rates, public holidays. Nor did he tell them he intended to make it easier for employers to force workers onto individual contracts that undercut take home pay and remove conditions.

John Howard hid his plans before the last election, so why should workers believe that he doesn't agree with Nick Minchin and Peter Hendy?

Peter Hendy's comments are further evidence that the Howard Government governs for corporate Australia at the expense of ordinary working families," said Ms Burrow.

The ABC has this morning reported that Mr Hendy says the first priority should be implementing legislation passed last year but a number of outstanding issues will have to be addressed .

"There is still too much centralised decision making left with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission," he said.

"There is still too high a reliance on the award system which is a centralised system which is basically decided in the city of Melbourne for the whole of Australia."
(Peter Hendy, ACCI 9/3/06

Yesterday it was senior Govt Minister Nick Minchin reported as urging for more radical IR changes, and today it is Peter Hendy from the Chamber of Commerce.

This shows that business leaders and senior Howard Government ministers are clearly planning a further wave of industrial relations changes including the total abolition of the award safety net.

These changes will further drive down the wages and conditions of Australian workers and undermine the living standards of working families," said Ms Burrow.

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/general/20060309_business.html
Last Modified: 09 Mar 2006