The Advertiser http://www.news.com.au/headlines/ Toughest laws target unions 23jan99 THE Labor Party's South Australian branch would miss out on $250,000 in annual union donations under planned changes to the State's industrial relations system. And in the toughest anti-union laws ever to be introduced in Australia, union representatives could be banned from workplaces except in special circumstances. The acting Government Enterprises Minister, Mr Lucas, announced the changes yesterday. In a tough crackdown, certain to enrage unions and the ALP, amendments to the Industrial and Employee Relations Act 1994 would: BAN compulsory donations to the ALP without the approval of the membership. BAN union representatives on work sites unless they had proof that employers had breached an award or workplace agreement. FORCE union representatives to warn employers before entering a site. MONITOR complaints about unions through government inspectors. ALLOW union representatives to only inspect the time and wages books of members. Mr Lucas defended the measures - but the Government faces a fight to pass the amendments through Parliament. "Under our proposals third parties, whoever they may be, will generally only be able to intervene in matters between employers and employees when either the employer or the employee seeks specific intervention," he said. Unions affiliated with the ALP must make compulsory donations each year, which can be funded from members' fees. In other changes all awards would be required to have junior pay rates, and workers would be able to negotiate when they take their public holidays and cash-out their long service leave. The State Government also plans to bypass the Industrial Relations Commission and unions, setting up an Independent Approving Authority to strike Workplace Agreements between employers and individual employees. In a further erosion of the Industrial Relations Commission - to be re-named the Workplace Relations Commission - mediators would be appointed to settle many disputes before formal hearings. The Government believes workers' rights would be protected through appeal to the Employee Ombudsman. Mr Lucas said minimum requirements built into the agreements would include: hourly rates no less than in awards, four weeks' annual leave, 10 days' sick leave, 12 months' parental leave, bereavement leave and 13 weeks' long service leave. Mr Lucas said dramatic changes to unfair dismissal laws would encourage particularly small businesses to employ more people. The State's 161,000 casual workers will have no rights of appeal, nor will workers with less than six months of continuous service with their employer - or 12 months with a small-business employer of less than 15 people. Mr Lucas said a filing fee of $100 would help stop frivolous claims of unfair dismissal. ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html The Year 2000 Bug - An Urgent Sustainability Issue http://www.peg.apc.org/~psutton/grin-y2k.htm
