The union movement yesterday took further steps towards building its post-Your Rights At Work identity, with the adoption of a new slogan to help recast its image and a growth and campaign plan for the future.
Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard yesterday told unions her national OHS laws were a “massive advance” that would for the first time allow all workers to stop work over OHS and substantially increase maximum fines, but she didn’t deter the ACTU’s Congress from endorsing a plan to ramp up their campaign against the national scheme, which they called an “outrage”.
The Victorian Government has introduced a bill to refer the bulk of its IR powers to the Commonwealth, while in federal parliament the House of Representatives has dealt with both Government and Opposition amendments to the second transitional IR bill.
Any hopes the union movement might have had that Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard would use her address to ACTU Congress today to signal the Rudd Government was moving towards abolishing construction-specific IR laws were dashed when she instead raised incidents of recent “appalling” behavior to seemingly justify their retention.
Wages in private sector federal enterprise agreements struck in the first quarter of 2009 defied the economic environment, growing at a strong 4.6%, according to the DEEWR, while ABS data released today showed Australia had escaped a technical recession.
The AMWU is in negotiations with the Federal Government over a scheme to fund training and income support for workers in the automotive industry forced to reduce their working hours because of the economic downturn.
Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard will tomorrow walk into a hall full of union officials who have just condemned her Government for failing to abolish the Coalition’s construction-specific IR laws and also endorsed a second wave of IR change, despite her saying it was “crystal clear” that none was planned.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow today fleshed out unions’ plans to improve income security for Australian workers displaced as a result of the Global Financial Crisis, saying it is time to “reinvent” the social insurance base.
The ACTU and AiG are at loggerheads over the question of whether transitional provisions in modern awards should be used to protect employees from being disadvantaged by the modernisation process.
Opposition amendment to protect employers from modern award cost imposts; Government to review equal opportunity legislation; CPSU fails in union discrimination case; and ”No plans” to raise super preservation age to 67: Rudd.
