Business lobby has forced changes to multi-employer bargaining in Labor's IR bill
The Labor government’s industrial relations bill has been watered down after pushback from business groups and resistance from the Senate. The issue of pay deals across multiple workplaces has been a particular bone of contention as some businesses have said it would lead to a wave of strike action.
On Sunday Workplace minister Tony Burke conceded to pressure, announcing that the bill would be amended to count a majority vote in each workplace, including on whether to pursue multi-employer agreement, take industrial action and approve any final agreement.
“This puts an end to the argument that you’ll end up with workplaces that didn’t want to be part of an agreement but somehow got roped in anyway – or didn’t want to be part of industrial action,” he told Sky News. “If you vote against any of the stages at that business level, then you’re not part of it.”
Burke also said indicated that the government are considering a six-month grace period before employers are subject to multi-employer bargaining.
