Family and Work Choices
March 26th 2007 09:34
Signature Tune
PRIME Minister John Howard says he won't make major changes to his industrial relations laws despite polls showing Work Choices was a factor in Labor's NSW election win.
An ACNielsen poll in Fairfax papers today found that 60 per cent of those who had heard of the Work Choices laws opposed them.
A union-organised exit poll found that more than a quarter of people who voted Labor last Saturday did so because of the state Liberals' plan to hand over industrial relations powers to the federal Government.
But Mr Howard said today he would not be changing the substance of the laws, which came into effect one year ago.
He said the principle of a flexible labour market was worth swimming against the tide of public opinion.
"The policy in its substance and its intent and its principal components is not going to change," Mr Howard said on Sky News.
"I really believe that the prosperity of Australia depends on our capacity to embrace beneficial economic reform."
Family First Senator Steve Fielding said today he would introduce legislation this week to amend workplace laws to guarantee workers public holidays, meal breaks and penalty rates as well as redundancy entitlements.
Fielding said Australian workers and their families were suffering under WorkChoices.
"There is also nothing in the new laws that stop employers requiring workers on agreement or contracts to work seven days a week without getting penalty rates or overtime."
Meanwhile, an inquiry began today in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) to investigate whether women's pay was being damaged by WorkChoices.
The inquiry, the second established by the Queensland Government since the introduction of WorkChoices, will examine the impact of the laws on pay equity after studies found the real earnings of women had fallen by 2 per cent.
Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) general secretary Grace Grace welcomed the inquiry.
"The QCU was concerned before these new workplace laws that women's pay was falling behind men's, but with the significant loss of conditions under AWAs (Australian Workplace Agreements) - the federal Government's preferred form of employment contract - the situation for women has only gotten worse," she said.
A study released last month by Queensland's Griffith University found the legislation was hurting women workers and contributing to wage inequality between males and females.
The reportfound the real-time average wage for women had fallen by 2 per cent while workers across the board suffered a wage cut of 1.1 per cent despite record employment.
Ms Grace said recent studies by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) found the gender pay gap was as wide as it was almost 30 years ago, with women earning on average 20 per cent less than men.
Federal Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey has previously dismissed claims women on AWAs earn less, saying real wages had increased under WorkChoices.
How do you feel about all of this?
| 60 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
katyzzz....sorry about the job situation, we can do with more real workers like you.