July 1 Sky Channel — Unions in solidarity

By Maree O’Halloran

Please attend the Unions NSW Sky Channel meetings on July 1.

Federation endorses the resolution going to those meetings.

The Federal Government's proposed changes to industrial relations laws will eventually bring back the 19th century master/servant relationship.

The proposals can be defeated over time. They will not be defeated by one piece of industrial action. They will be defeated by a concerted community and media campaign punctuated by industrial action as appropriate.

June Council declared that Federation stands prepared to be involved in united action, including a general strike, at a time determined by the general union movement. Federation proposes that action be timed to coincide with voting in the Senate.

The Federal Government does have the numbers to pass its proposed bill (copies of which are not yet available). However, the combination of a legal challenge in the High Court and continued campaigning can force the issue into a debate during the next election.

The union movement changed the shape of 20th century Australia for the better. Union advances have not only changed working people's lives but forged a more just society. The award system, superannuation, equal pay, workers compensation, long service leave and the eight-hour day are a few of the benefits conceived of and won by the union movement.

The Federal Coalition Government's proposed industrial relations changes are intended to strip away a century of union advances. The drive to replace collective agreements with individual contracts (also known as Australian Workplace Agreements) is to return to the 19th century master/servant relationship, and thereby disadvantage the majority of Australian workers and their families. The award system was developed in Australia in the early 20th century to override common law individual employment contracts that gave lesser benefits to employees.

Prime Minister John Howard's statement of workplace relations in the House of Representatives on May 26 confirms his Government's extreme and radical agenda. Under the guise of "the next logical step towards a flexible, simple and fair system of workplace relations", the Prime Minister will strip away many worker protections. Although the Prime Minister has said that low-income households have enjoyed strong income growth, the St Vincent de Paul Society says official figures contradict this. From 1994 to 2003 real mean incomes for the poorest Australians grew at a slower rate than those on higher incomes.

The Federal Government's proposals now include:

• Removing unfair dismissal law for workers in workplaces with less than 100 employees.
• A government board, to be known as the "Fair Pay Commission" to set the adult minimum wage. It will also adjust award classifications, including teachers' award wages. This board will not be open and will not hear evidence. Wages will be determined without consideration of work value and/or the social wage.
• A hostile take-over of state industrial relations jurisdictions.

Maree O'Halloran is the President.

For further information

June 2005 contents