THE HON BILL SHORTEN MP
LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG
BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS
MEMBER FOR GORTON
MEDIA RELEASE
WORKCHOICES RETURNS AS ABBOTT ATTACKS WORKERS’ PAY AND CONDITIONS
The Government’s radical intervention in the Fair Work Commission review of workplace awards has lifted the lid on Tony Abbott’s revival of WorkChoices and his plans to slash penalty rates and working conditions for millions of Australians.
Before the election, Mr Abbott promised he wouldn’t touch workers’ conditions. He promised he wouldn’t cut penalty rates.
But the Government’s alarming proposal to the Fair Work Commission review of awards calls for a “review of penalty rates” and proposes workplace awards “provide only minimum terms and conditions of employment”.
Under this radical proposal, millions of Australians will receive less money in their pay packets.
The Abbott Government’s agenda is crystal clear – penalty rates are on the chopping block, and a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work is under threat.
Families are already struggling with cost of living pressures from this government – like higher health insurance premiums, scrapping the Schoolkids Bonus and flagging a GP Tax.
Everything the Prime Minister is doing now shows that WorkChoices was merely sedated, not cremated as the Prime Mininster promised.
In just five months the Abbott Government has charted a course to return to WorkChoices, yet has done nothing to stop more than 50,000 full-time jobs being lost across the country.
Not only does this government want to drive Australian jobs overseas – like we’ve seen with their disastrous decisions on Holden and SPC – they are hell-bent on attacking the pay and conditions of dedicated workers.
He won’t speak its name – but WorkChoices is on its way back under this Prime Minister.
Link to Government’s submission to the Fair Work Commission award modernisation process:
http://www.fwc.gov.au/sites/awardsmodernfouryr/submissions/AM20141_sub_AusGov_030214.pdf
WEDNESDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2014
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