The threat by two Senators to join with the Coalition and block the next stage of Rudd Government’s industrial relations laws are an affront to the majority of Australians who voted to scrap Work Choices at the last election says the ACTU.
A report in The Australian newspaper today reveals that the Coalition is ‘working with the independent Senators’ to change the Rudd Government’s second piece of industrial relations legislation which is due in Parliament later this year.
Two Senators who will hold the balance of power after July — anti-pokies campaigner Nick Xenophon and Family First’s Steve Fielding – are reported to support a new form of AWA-style individual statutory contracts.
“This is a major threat to the Rudd Government’s election commitment to introduce a fair and balanced industrial relations system.
“It would resurrect a key aspect of Work Choices and hand power back to employers despite the Australian public overwhelmingly voting for fairer IR laws at the last election,” said ACTU President Ms Sharan Burrow today.
Lenore Taylor, National correspondent, The Australian, Independent senators to flex muscles in workplace, page 4 (Sat 10 May 2008) Click to view article
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