United magazine Winter 2016

USU GENERAL SECRETARY GRAEME KELLY AND SENATOR DEB O’NEILL ALONG WITH USU MEMBERS AND OFFICIALS
JOINED UNION MEMBERS FROM ACROSS AUSTRALIA AT THE JOBS EMBASSY OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT HOUSE.
etter jobs and a fair go
most impact on young workers.
ALLOW EMPLOYERS TO RESTRUCTURE
THEIR BUSINESS TO TAKE AWAY WORKERS’
RIGHTS
This means an employer can move
jobs to another company they own
and tell the workers they can either
lose their job or accept a job with
the new company on less pay and
worse conditions because the Award
minimum would be all that applies.
MAKE IT HARDER FOR WORKERS TO GET
SUPPORT AT WORK, RESTRICTING A UNION
ENTERING A WORKPLACE
The employer can determine where
discussions take place. Further, the
Commission can restrict or prevent
visits by all unions if they consider just
one union has visited too often.
MAKING IT HARDER TO TAKE PROTECTED
INDUSTRIAL ACTION
Workers will not even be able to get a
ballot for protected action if just one of
their claims is considered “excessive”
or if it would have “significant
adverse impact on productivity at the
workplace”. This will allow employers
to drag out legal proceedings to delay
or stop workers even having a vote on
protected action.
2. THE PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Liberals’ Productivity Commission
report into workplace relations has
called for cutting penalty rates and
limiting the minimum wage, making
it easier to sack people and giving
employers even more power over the
lives of working people.
In response to serious campaign
pressure from union members across
Australia, the Coalition has been
reluctant to formally back these
recommendations, yet. But there is
a long and growing list of Coalition
MPs calling for these changes, and
especially for penalty rates to be cut.
This includes Malcolm Turnbull and
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash.
3. THE ATTACK ON UNIONS
The Turnbull Government is proposing
two sets of draconian laws in response
to the Trade Union Royal Commission
recommendations. These sets of laws
are designed to make it harder for unions
to campaign to protect workers’ rights.
They are also part of the Liberals’
plan to undermine the credibility of the
union movement by pretending there is
a big corruption problem.
WHAT DO WE WANT?
Our rights at work are fundamental
to our living standards and our way of
life. Without them employers will have
all the power to impose lower pay and
less job security for working people.
Generations of union members have
fought for our current rights at work.
It’s up to us to again defend them for
future generations. We want our rights
at work and penalty rates protected.
United Winter 2016 • 13