conservative think tank's labor reform proposal sparks controversy over workers' rights
An industrial relations reform plan from the Liberal Party-supported HR Nicholls Society has drawn a critical response to workers’ rights in Australia. The proposal, titled ‘The Employment Act: ‘A Modern Blueprint for the Future of Work,’ enshrines possible overhauls that can impact more than 3.3 million employees across Australia. Some of the think tank proposals are that awards be scrapped, workers in small business establishments be denied right to unfair dismissal, and high paid employees be barred from collective bargaining.
The diminution of the extensive reform bundle involves the abolition of the present award structure and a simpler, lower base minimum pay fixed by the Productivity Commission. The proposal also seeks to scrap the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman but restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission. These changes would sharply weaken protections for employees, such as doing away with redundancy payments for workers in companies with up to 50 people and stripping rights from gig workers.
Opponents argue the links of the Society to other political-regulating actions as for example the WorkChoices laws of John Howard. Recent appearances at the blueprint’s launch conference through shadow minister Michael Sukkar are clear indications that the organization founded in 1986 with former Treasurer Peter Costello as the founding member is affiliated to the Liberal party.
ACTU Secretary Ms Sally McManus has come out strongly against the move stating that the widespread application of the proposal will lead to the slashing of wages. McManus has demanded that the opposition leader Peter Dutton categorically reject these policies based on their potential to hurt working Australians. According to the union leader, the blueprint seems to have only one major goal – cutting down on wages not workplace reformation.
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