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Women
Federal Election information
Who will be the best Government for Women Workers
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Federal Election 2004
Industrial Policies For Women
By Suzanne Hammond
Federal Women's Industrial Officer
Suzanne Hammond, Federal Women's Industrial Officer, analyses the differences amongst the major parties' positions on industrial relations and the impact on women's jobs and lives.
"Most of us would accept that a bad boss is a little bit like a bad father or a bad husband. Notwithstanding all his faults, you tend to find he does more good than harm". Tony Abbott, Former Minister for Workplace Relations in the Howard Government.
Federal Election Day is the 9th October 2004. CPSU-SPSF delegates, organizers and members are encouraged to discuss the industrial policies of the various parties and their effect on members and their families.
Industrial policies are an important issue for members and they are of particular interest to women members. Working women need to consider a range of issues that will affect their workforce experience and that of the lives of their families and the social wellbeing. Women's work/life experience means that we not only need to consider industrial policies but also health, welfare, education policies and environment policies.
Women's often intermittent and broken employment patterns, their lower wages and caring responsibilities mean that we often face times in our lives when we rely, more so than men, on access to and the provision of good quality health and welfare systems. Below is a summary of the main industrial policies that are of interest to women. It is by no means exhaustive. We urge our members when considering the industrial policies of the parties that they also bear in mind these broader issues as total work life package.
Australian Labor Party
- Abolish AWAs.
- Abolish restrictions on allowable matters and let the AIRC decide on what matters should be included into awards.
- $2.2 billion Baby Care Payment that provides a payment of $3000.00 for all eligible mothers, whether they are in the workforce or not. The payment will rise to $5,380.00 which is equivalent of 14 weeks pay on the federal minimum wage.
- Encourage the Industrial Relations Commission to provide an entitlement for mothers to request a return to work on a part-time basis, which employers would not be able to reasonably refuse.
- Amend the Workplace Relations Act to provide more secure employment and give regular, long-term casual workers (the majority of whom are women to request permanent status.
- Promote pay equity by establishing pay equity fund to support equal pay cases.
- Strengthen the power of the Industrial Commission to settle disputes and support collective bargaining and good faith bargaining.
- Improve wages and conditions for child care workers.
- Introduce a national scheme to guarantee 100% of worker entitlements.
Click here for more information about ALP policies
Australian Greens
Abolish AWAs and non-union collective agreements.
Provide a national paid parental leave scheme whereby employees would receive 18 weeks pay at replacement earnings up to the average federal wage but no less than the federal minimum.
Provide for the right to return to work part-time after parental leave.
Provide all employees (including casuals, fixed and probationary workers) with the right to challenge the termination of their employment when it is unfair.
Click here for more information about Greens policies
Liberal Party
As yet the Liberal Party hasn't released a formal Industrial Relations Policy so the following is based upon what the Howard Government has done during its period in office and from information on the Liberal Party website.
- Maintain AWAs
- Exempt small business from unfair dismissal laws. (The Howard Government has made several attempts to deny many workers especially workers in small business from unfair dismissal rights. This removal of rights will have a detrimental impact on many women who work in small workplaces.)
- Move toward a unitary system of industrial relations. (The Howard Government has attempted to widen the power of the Federal jurisdiction in the area of unfair dismissal and termination of employment in an attempt to deny some workers greater protection granted under State laws.)
- The Howard Government has continued to oppose moves to improve permanency for casual workers. (Under the Howard Government there has been a 42 per cent growth in the casual workforce).
- Howard Government has continued to oppose ACTU Minimum Wage Claims. The Howard Government has continually argued that they would prefer to see a reduction in the minimum wage.
- The Howard Government reduced awards to twenty allowable matters. Their intention is to further restrict conditions allowable in awards. This has had a detrimental impact on women workers, as they are more likely than men to rely upon awards for their wages and conditions.
- The Liberal Party Election policy makes no mention of the right to return to work after maternity leave and the Howard Government has failed to support the ACTU Work and Family Test Case.
- $3000.00 maternity payment increasing to $5000.00 by July 2008.
- HECS Fees increased by 25 per cent. (This is a regressive tax and the effect on women workers is heightened because of their intermittent workforce experience).
- Tax cuts to those earning over $52,000.00. Unfortunately many of our members are ineligible for tax cuts as most women public servants earn under this amount. About 85 percent of women workers are not entitled to these tax cuts.
- Implemented the General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme, which caps payouts at 16 weeks.
- The Howard Government has consistently attempted to legislate to restrict the right of unions and their members to freedom of association and to collectively bargain. They have also on many occasions attempted to legislate to reduce wages and conditions by restricting the power of the Industrial Commission to set fair and reasonable standards in awards. The more extreme proposed legislation has been defeated in the Senate.
Click here for more information about Liberal policies
Australian Democrats
Support a national unitary system of industrial relations.
Support Collective bargaining.
Support fees for non-union members who benefit from union negotiated deals.
A Government funded employee entitlement scheme.
A paid maternity leave scheme of 14 weeks paid leave at minimum wage rate, which can be topped up through workplace bargaining.
Propose Work and Family Act and a Commission to give work and family issues greater prominence and attention. The Act will include a right to request flexible working hours, a right to part-time work and greater job security for casual workers.
Oppose HECS increase.
The Democrats have on many occasions voted to knock back in the Senate many of the extreme measures included in Reith, Abbott and Andrews proposed legislation.
Click here for more information about Democrats policies
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