THE FEDERAL Government’s forthcoming workplace relations changes will remove barriers that restrict opportunities for young Australians to enter an apprenticeship, according to Prime Minister John Howard.
THE FEDERAL Government’s forthcoming workplace relations changes will remove barriers that restrict opportunities for young Australians to enter an apprenticeship, according to Prime Minister John Howard.
“The workplace relations reform legislation will deliver the changes to help increase the uptake of school-based and part-time apprenticeships,” he said.
Such barriers are generally much more serious in the state industrial relations systems than under the federal system, he added.
“Most of the state industrial relations systems provide little coverage for school-based apprenticeships, and only a small number of state awards provide for the employment of part-time apprentices.”
Speaking at the recent Skilling Australia conference, which was supported by Human Resources magazine, Prime Minister Howard said workplace relations reform legislation will include a requirement that minimum wages for trainees be set by the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) at levels that ensure they are competitive in the labour market.
Further, the AFPC will have the power to establish separate minimum wages for all categories of trainees and the commission will be required to establish minimum training wages for all types of apprenticeships that will operate wherever there are currently any gaps in state or federal award coverage.
The ACTU responded by renewing its call for the Federal Government to stop employers from putting workers under the age of 20 onto individual contracts, following the results of a report released by SA Unions which showed young workers were being bullied, pressured and exploited, often being paid less than the Award.
The survey of 800 young workers from South Australia found 36 per cent were pressured to work overtime without pay, 43 per cent were pressured to work while sick and a further 42 per cent were forced to work through meal breaks.
“This report is further evidence that individual contracts are being used to exploit Australian workers, especially young people,” said ACTU secretary Greg Combet.
He called on the Federal Government for an immediate public audit of all existing individual contracts approved by the Office of Employment Advocate.
