Senator Hume confirms workers’ pay and job security at risk under the Coalition   
September 15, 2024 ACTU.
The ACTU condemns Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume’s attack on workers’ rights on today’s ABC’s Insiders program after she criticised the Same Job Same Pay laws as merely “red tape” holding back business.

Senator Hume confirmed on the program that the Coalition would conduct a review of the Same Job Same Pay laws if returned to office at the next election. She refused to rule out workers having their pay cut, if those laws go.

The Same Job Same Pay laws stop companies like Qantas and BHP from driving down wages and conditions by employing labour hire workers on lower pay, despite performing the same role as their inhouse directly employed co-workers. Workers across a range of industries have already received permanent jobs and significant pay increases as a result.

Senator Hume told the program the Coalition would look at “all of the industrial relations laws” to make sure they are “fairer for employers” if they won office.

Senator Hume also confirmed the Coalition would roll-back multi-employer bargaining, scrap new definitions and rights for casual workers, eliminate the Future Made in Australia investment program, as well as the new right to disconnect laws.

The Albanese Government’s multi-employer bargaining laws are empowering workers to seek fairer wages and conditions when negotiating with employers. These laws are enabling fair pay rises for Australians who work in childcare, social and community services, manufacturing, disability and aged care, and fast food, among other industries.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

“The new rights won by working people through their unions have paved the way for life-changing pay rises for Australians working in mining, airlines, manufacturing, early childhood education, aged care, and other industries. Threatening to cut the pay of these workers by scrapping these laws shows Peter Dutton wants to back big business over working people, and the union movement won’t stand for that.

“Working people are frustrated with seeing big businesses like Qantas and BHP record megaprofits while raising their prices and driving down wages. Laws like Same Job Same Pay and multi-employer bargaining are making a real difference to working people’s pay packets. Any politician who cares about the cost of living should protect workers’ rights, not abolish them.

“Today Senator Hume gave voters a clear choice at the upcoming election: if they vote for a Dutton-led Coalition, many of the new laws that have got wages moving will be torn up.

“Unions want Australians to have more money in their pockets, more time with their loved ones and more freedom to live their lives outside of work. You don’t achieve that by abolishing Same Job Same Pay, giving big business more power to turn permanent jobs into casual jobs, eliminating the right to disconnect and scrapping multi-employer bargaining. Taking away our rights at work hurts everyday people while boosting the profits of big companies like Qantas and billionaires like Gina Rinehart.”