Jim Stanford writes in The Conversation (10.12.20) about the federal Coalition’s planned changes to workplace laws, suggesting the Morrison government’s industrial relations bill will tip the scales further against employees.
‘“We are all in this together,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison solemnly intoned in April – and for a brief few months, in the face of the economic crisis wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s industrial relations protagonists agreed.
‘Business groups, unions and governments put aside their usual differences and worked together to minimise job losses. They quickly negotiated alterations to dozens of awards and enterprise agreements, adjusting rules and rosters to help keep Australians on the job.
‘Then, in late May, seeing opportunity in that spirit of cooperation, Morrison heralded a new consensus-based approach to industrial relations.
‘… Now, in the absence of consensus, the government has picked up its traditional hymn book and is once again singing the praises of “flexibility”.’
- So much for consensus: Morrison government’s industrial relations bill is a business wish list »
- Part-time workers to be offered more hours but without overtime under proposed industrial relations shake-up »
- Big penalties for wage theft and ‘part-time flex’ work in major industrial shake-up »
- How Australia’s industrial relations bill will affect you and your workplace »
- ‘Nasty act from a nasty government’: Labor and unions go in to bat for workers’ rights »
- Businesses hit by COVID could give the boot to BOOT hurdle under workplace changes »
- Chance for genuine industrial relations reform thrown under the omnibus »
- Coalition risks ‘inciting opposition’ by failing to sell need for industrial relations reform »
- Why the Morrison government’s ‘double-dipping’ gambit fails the pub test »
- How casual became predictable »
- ‘No clear need’: Victoria and Queensland blast Coalition’s industrial relations changes »
- Tighten ‘better off overall’ exemption in IR bill but let us change staff hours, bosses urge »
- Low wage, low growth: Porter’s industrial relations bill is only good in parts »
- Grattan on Friday: There’s no escape from scares when politicians debate industrial relations »
- Labor’s industrial relations gamble »
- Government drops BOOT change but Labor and ACTU will still fight workplace legislation »
- ReBOOT: what is the ‘better off overall test’, and should you be worried about it? »
- What Albanese needs to build a new industrial relations consensus »
- Australia’s insecure work crisis: fixing it for the future »
- We should simplify our industrial relations system, but not in the way big business wants »