THE LEAD-UP to the federal election has polarised the debate over the future of industrial relations in Australia, with the Liberal and Labor parties trading blows over exactly what each other’s policies would mean for Australian employers and the country’s workforce after the election
THE LEAD-UP to the federal election has polarised the debate over the future of industrial relations in Australia, with the Liberal and Labor parties trading blows over exactly what each other’s policies would mean for Australian employers and the country’s workforce after the election.
The Coalition’s platform was tilted towards improving the fortunes of employers and small business in particular, favouring a unified national approach to workplace relations and encouraging the uptake of Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs).
The Federal Government also pledged to lift the maximum terms of AWAs from three to five years and promised to exclude the operation of state workplace right-of-entry laws for unions where federal laws also apply, effectively sidelining a recent Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) giving unions the right to dictate the location of interviews between union officials and employees.
Despite a considerable war chest to fund election promises on other departmental fronts, the Coalition had only set aside an additional $12 million over four years for the Office of Employment Advocate, $2 million for a small business pilot mediation service in the AIRC and $7 million for a network of small business occupational health and safety advisers.
Labor’s workplace relations platform, on the other hand, was aimed at reinvigorating union participation in the workplace, restoring the power of the AIRC and abolishing AWAs.
Other policies include the introduction of a standard 14 weeks paid maternity leave, establishing a right for casual workers to take up full-time employment after six months and abolishing legislation aimed at reforming the building industry.
Labor has pledged considerably more than the Coalition in the area of workplace relations, with a commitments of $40 million over four years to boost the capacity of federal wages information and compliance services, for example, and an additional $10 million a year for assisting employees with information on recovering underpayment of wages and other entitlements.
Labor said any intentions by a re-elected Howard Government to further unify Australia’s workplace relations system was doublespeak for seizing control of the State industrial relations systems.
“Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has already indicated publicly that the Howard Government considers the time has come for a national system,” said Craig Emerson, Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations.
While the Coalition’s workplace relations policy proposes “investigate ways” of achieving a unified system, Minister Andrews said the government simply didn’t have the constitutional powers to achieve this.
The Coalition hit back with claims that a Labor government would be under the thumb of unions after releasing a document from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) which said a federal Labor government would abolish the law which caps awards at 20 allowable matters.
“Under Labor the heavy hand of regulation will ensure that the trade union movement control workplaces and that small businesses are faced with the ugly choice of costly action in the industrial courts or bowing to union demands and paying increased taxes and compliance costs,” said Joe Hockey, Minister for Small Business.
However, even if a Labor government came to power in the federal election, it was uncertain whether reforms such as abolishing AWA would make it through the Upper House after the Democrats and some Independent Senators expressed their opposition to such plans.
While the Democrats supported the role of unions, Australian Democrats Workplace Relations spokesperson Senator Andrew Murray said only 20 per cent of the Australian workforce were union members and their interests don’t always coincide with the those of Australia as a whole.
