Labor and unionists are warding off criticism of the government's industrial relations reforms by saying opponents want a return to the coalition's harsher Work Choices regime.   :o

The former head of the Australian Building and Construction Commission John Lloyd on Monday said concerns about the state of the industrial relations system were widespread.

"Employers across the whole spectrum are expressing concern about this, and obviously employees are becoming worried about their future job security," Mr Lloyd told Sky News on Monday.

Jobs and productivity are subjects of rising anxiety after BlueScope Steel last week announced it would shed 1000 jobs due to the pressures of the strong Australian dollar.   :(

Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens called last week for a review of industrial relations, saying many business people felt that the government's reforms had reduced workforce flexibility.

That prompted ACTU President Ged Kearney to say the central bank chief was "captive to the big end of town".

Greens industrial relations spokesman Adam Bandt called for the Reserve Bank board to include union and community representatives, not just business leaders, to protect full employment.   ;)

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national secretary Dave Oliver said productivity was the real issue.

"Not the Glenn Stevens Reserve Bank productivity by removing penalty rates of workers, but real productivity at a macro level to investment in infrastructure, investment in skills, investment in innovation, research and development, improved management capability and access to finance," he told reporters in Canberra.

"Clearly Glenn Stevens hasn't been looking into the (steel) industry very often because what he would have found is that since 2007 there hasn't been a single day lost in the steel industry through industrial action, unlike during the period of Work Choices."

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said the current IR system was "one size fits all" and needed and overhaul to boost productivity.

Queensland Liberal backbencher Steve Ciobo said Labor's Fair Work Act had choked labour market flexibility.

"The re-regulation of the workforce is costing Aussie jobs.

"As far as I am concerned the 1000 lost jobs at BlueScope last week lie right at the feet of Labor and the unions," he told The Australian.

"With the high Aussie dollar we need to be even more competitive than our trading partners."

But Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans said it was "disgraceful" that Mr Ciobo was blaming workers for the job losses.   :(

"To suggest that BlueScope's redundancies were caused by the wages and conditions of the BlueScope workers flies in the face of reality," Senator Evans said.   ::)

"We know that this has been caused by the high Australian dollar.

"This is about Work Choices, about returning to a system that says you should lower the wages and conditions of Australian workers."  >:(

Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes said productivity in the steel industry was high and the workplace relations system was working.

"It is not the old narrative in terms of worker losing, worker winning, or boss losing or boss winning," he said.

"It's about being clever, it's being innovative, it's about appropriate levels of managerial experience in manufacturing to ensure we can innovate, can diversify and we can stay the long term."

"This is about Work Choices, about returning to a system that says you should lower the wages and conditions of Australian workers."   >:(

wrote on Aug 30^th, 2011 at 12:13pm:

"This is about Work Choices, about returning to a system that says you should lower the wages and conditions of Australian workers."   >:(

complete and utter crap.

wrote on Aug 30^th, 2011 at 12:13pm:

"This is about Work Choices, about returning to a system that says you should lower the wages and conditions of Australian workers."   >:(

Very true.

I didnt realise the Coalition were in power

Doctor Jolly wrote on Aug 30^th, 2011 at 12:39pm:

wrote on Aug 30th, 2011 at 12:13pm: "This is about Work Choices, about returning to a system that says you should lower the wages and conditions of Australian workers."   >:( Very true.

If all you can do is what 300 million Chinese can also do, then you can either have a job for less money over here, or one of those Chinese will have your job over there. You can work this much out ven if you left school at 14.

what was so bad about workchoices

prob nothing

barnaby joe wrote on Aug 30^th, 2011 at 8:57pm:

what was so bad about workchoices prob nothing

You were probably unemployed and on the dole at the time.

Hmm, the doom and gloom stories are picking up...

Wonder if that means an early election is in the wind????

Soren wrote on Aug 30^th, 2011 at 8:53pm:

Doctor Jolly wrote on Aug 30th, 2011 at 12:39pm: wrote on Aug 30th, 2011 at 12:13pm: "This is about Work Choices, about returning to a system that says you should lower the wages and conditions of Australian workers."   >:( Very true. If all you can do is what 300 million Chinese can also do, then you can either have a job for less money over here, or one of those Chinese will have your job over there. You can work this much out ven if you left school at 14.

How much will it cost me to go to china to buy my salad roll?

Labor's (their overlords in the ACTU that is) have destoyed Australian manufacturing by rolling back IR reform.

Collective agreements are obsolete.

No good having a collective agreement if you haven't got a job.

You whinging comrades got what you voted for. :D

Basic workers’ rights including holidays, penalty rates and sick leave are at risk thanks to Tony Abbott’s confirmation today of a return to WorkChoices-style individual contracts under the Liberal Party.   :o

“Mr Abbott has today confirmed that he will repeal the hard-fought rights of workers and embrace the central elements of the Liberal Party’s WorkChoices, which used individual contracts to undermine Australians’ pay and conditions,” ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said.

“Mr Abbott can call it what he likes and can dress it up however he likes, but he has today revealed a government under his leadership would reinstate the same laws that removed the basic rights of Australian workers.

“After months of dancing around the issue, Mr Abbott has given big business what it wants with a commitment to return to a hardline industrial relations policy, confirming he will bring back the individual contracts that destroyed workers’ rights as the key ingredient in WorkChoices.   >:(

“It can only be a matter of time before he also announces plans to scrap unfair dismissal protection.

“Make no mistake, the Liberal Party is passionately committed to destroying workplace rights. He is addicted to WorkChoices and his comments today prove it.

“Any previous claim that WorkChoices is ‘dead, buried and cremated’ has been shown up as a lie. This is WorkChoices Mark 2.”   :(

Under WorkChoices, an employer could create an individual contract, known as Australian Workplace Agreements that stripped employees of basic award conditions.”   :(

An analysis of AWAs under WorkChoices found

   70% removed shift work loadings
   68% removed annual leave loadings
   65% removed penalty rates
   50% removed public holidays payment
   49% removed overtime loadings
   31% removed rest breaks
   25% removed public holidays

“Workers have no genuine ability to negotiate their pay and conditions under individual contracts. They have no choice but to take what the employer offers, or look for another job,” Mr Lawrence said.

“Mr Abbott has no credibility left when it comes to talking about workplace rights.”   :(

wrote on Sep 1^st, 2011 at 8:13am:

Basic workers’ rights including holidays, penalty rates and sick leave are at risk thanks to Tony Abbott’s confirmation today of a return to WorkChoices-style individual contracts under the Liberal Party.   :o “Mr Abbott has today confirmed that he will repeal the hard-fought rights of workers and embrace the central elements of the Liberal Party’s WorkChoices, which used individual contracts to undermine Australians’ pay and conditions,” ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said. “Mr Abbott can call it what he likes and can dress it up however he likes, but he has today revealed a government under his leadership would reinstate the same laws that removed the basic rights of Australian workers. “After months of dancing around the issue, Mr Abbott has given big business what it wants with a commitment to return to a hardline industrial relations policy, confirming he will bring back the individual contracts that destroyed workers’ rights as the key ingredient in WorkChoices.   >:( “It can only be a matter of time before he also announces plans to scrap unfair dismissal protection. “Make no mistake, the Liberal Party is passionately committed to destroying workplace rights. He is addicted to WorkChoices and his comments today prove it. “Any previous claim that WorkChoices is ‘dead, buried and cremated’ has been shown up as a lie. This is WorkChoices Mark 2.”   :( Under WorkChoices, an employer could create an individual contract, known as Australian Workplace Agreements that stripped employees of basic award conditions.”   :( An analysis of AWAs under WorkChoices found    70% removed shift work loadings    68% removed annual leave loadings    65% removed penalty rates    50% removed public holidays payment    49% removed overtime loadings    31% removed rest breaks    25% removed public holidays “Workers have no genuine ability to negotiate their pay and conditions under individual contracts. They have no choice but to take what the employer offers, or look for another job,” Mr Lawrence said. “Mr Abbott has no credibility left when it comes to talking about workplace rights.”   :(

One thing that has surprised me about the Rudd/Gillard Govts to date, is that they didn't make a big deal about the stats of AWAs lodged under the Howardian Era's EmployerChoices legislation...

I believe that this was a huge political mistake on the part of the ALP - since they gave Macca et al scope to claim that the Rudd/Gillard changes to workplace laws was tokenistic window-dressing, which largely left the Howardian workplace regime intact...

Ironically, in recent months, we have seen business and Liberal powermongers squawking that the Rudd/Gillard Govts wound back workplace laws by decades...

So, which was it: did Rudd/Gillard leave Howard's workplace laws intact - or did they wind them back a whole lot further!?

It is about time, that the media and employee advocates started demanding the stats under FOI!

Huge amounts of AWA's were rejected, and sadly thousands werent even lodged, that was the problem with that system.

That said, run a workchoices scare campaign all you like imcrook, I thought it was you saying an election was 3 years away anyway.

THE Greens have warned Tony Abbott they will oppose any return to individual workplace agreements under a Coalition government.   :)

Meanwhile, business groups welcomed the opposition's commitment to reform aspects of the industrial relations system.

Mr Abbott on Wednesday gave the strongest indication yet that a Coalition government would seek to strike more flexible workplace agreements without union involvement, saying he would inject more "freedom" into arrangements between workers and employers.

Lower House Greens MP Adam Bandt yesterday declared his party would block any attempt to revive individual workplace contracts.   :)

"We will oppose any attempt to return to Work Choices," Mr Bandt said. "The only way Mr Abbott could revive Work Choices will be if Labor is willing to back it. We will not."   :)



Mr Bandt said that important employment rights were at risk under a Coalition government, including penalty rates, sick leave and holidays.

But Australian Industry Group chief executive Heather Ridout said it was important to promote productivity in the workplace. "The fact that the opposition have now recognised the need to join this debate is strongly welcome," she said.

"Productivity is built from the enterprise up and is, of course, dependent on investment in skills, infrastructure and technology. But efficient workplace practices also have to be part of the equation." .

The Labor Party has accused Mr Abbott of reviving Work Choices, but Liberal sources have insisted the Coalition is not intent on returning to individual contracts.

"I think we need freedom. I think we ought to be able to trust the businesses and the workers of Australia to come to arrangements which suit themselves," Mr Abbott told Melbourne's 3AW on Wednesday.

"There's got to be minimums. There's got to be fairness. But there's also got to be freedom."

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said there were a number of flaws in the Fair Work system that needed to be urgently addressed by the Labor government, but said Mr Abbott had taken a positive step forward.

"We welcome the prospect of the opposition developing some alternative policy approaches," he said.

"Our priority in the business community is to redress problems with the Fair Work system without waiting for any change or potential change in government. There are real issues that need to be addressed now."

Lower House Greens MP Adam Bandt yesterday declared his party would block any attempt to revive individual workplace contracts.   :)  

"We will oppose any attempt to return to Work Choices," Mr Bandt said. "The only way Mr Abbott could revive Work Choices will be if Labor is willing to back it. We will not."                                                             Vote 1 Australian Greens - The fair and sensible people.   :)

wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2011 at 6:43am:

Lower House Greens MP Adam Bandt yesterday declared his party would block any attempt to revive individual workplace contracts.   :)   "We will oppose any attempt to return to Work Choices," Mr Bandt said. "The only way Mr Abbott could revive Work Choices will be if Labor is willing to back it. We will not."                                                             Vote 1 Australian Greens - The fair and sensible people.   :)

This is bullshit from the greens, people can already go on individual workplace contracts.

THEY CANT GO ON AWA'S!!!

Having the Australian Greens, with the balance of power in the senate.  What a wonderful insurance policy that is.   :)

wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2011 at 8:46am:

Having the Australian Greens, with the balance of power in the senate.  What a wonderful insurance policy that is.   :)

What crap are you on, you can already get individual contracts.

You cant get individual agreements.

Might help you to know the difference instead of parroting BS all the time.

hurrah less rights for workers, good choice australia

wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2011 at 8:46am:

Having the Australian Greens, with the balance of power in the senate.  What a wonderful insurance policy that is.   :)

Yes. We must all ensure that the greens will get more power in the senate for the safety of Australian workers and the environment.