General

Australian Workplace Agreements

Hard-hitting Union campaign continues

With the Federal Government's new IR laws one year old today (Tues. 27 March), the ACTU will this morning release new national polling conducted on the weekend.

The poll shows voters overwhelmingly reject the Howard Government's push to put workers on to AWA individual contracts and want unfair dismissal and collective bargaining rights for workers restored.

With the Prime Minister John Howard yesterday ruling out any possibility of the Federal Liberal Party making changes to its year old IR laws, the national poll of 1000 voters shows:

• 69% believe AWA individual contracts that are being pushed by the IR laws give too much power to employers.

• 71% believe that collective bargaining gives power back to workers and that this is a good thing.

• 59% reject the Government's argument that unfair dismissal laws cost jobs and believe that all workers, including those in small businesses, should be protected from unfair dismissal.

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet will also launch a hard-hitting new TV advertisement to be aired nationally as part of the union campaign against the Federal Government's IR laws.

The TV ad is the third in the current series of union TV advertisements and highlights how over time all Australian workers will be affected by the Government's IR laws.

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet

"After only one year many Australian working families have already been negatively affected by the Federal Government's IR laws. Unless these laws are ripped up, many more working people will also be hurt and what we will see over time is that the pay and conditions of all Australian workers will be slowly but surely worn down.

"That is why the ACTU and unions are so committed to seeing these laws thrown out at the next election. It is now very clear that what the Australian public wants is workplace laws that respects the right of workers not to be unfairly dismissed, stop workers being pushed onto pay and condition cutting AWAs, and ensures that where a majority of workers in a workplace want a collective agreement they have that right."

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

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/general/20070327_work.html
Last Modified: 27 Mar 2007