Workers and unions warmly welcome new appointee
The federal government has recently appointed a new Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations in a move welcomed by unions and workers alike.
In a media release, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has expressed that it “looks forward” to working with Tony Burke “to improve the lives of working people”.
“Minister Burke has worked hard in opposition to resist attacks on Australian workers like the Ensuring Integrity Bill and the IR Omnibus Bill. The pay and conditions of millions of working people are stronger today than they might have been without his work during the term of the last government,” the ACTU said.
The group also said it is eager to have a government that will “restore balance” to the country’s industrial relations system.
“After almost a decade of attacks on their rights, working people finally have a Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations who will fight for them,” ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said in a statement.
“Strong wage growth and increased job security [are] desperately needed to ensure that the recovery from the pandemic extends to the workers who carried this country through the crisis,” McManus added.
Workers resonate with Burke’s humble beginnings, and it’s one of the reasons why they have faith that he would champion their rights.
According to Burke’s website, the new Minister grew up in a small business family but later ran his own. He also worked as a local organiser for retail workers.
Burke also has a hand in environmental conservation. According to his profile, he was responsible for “resolving 100 years of conflict in the Murray-Darling Basin, placing Tasmania’s forests on the World Heritage list, making the second-largest conservation decision in the planet’s history.” He also reportedly implemented the comprehensive Creative Australia arts and culture policy.
