This is a prosperous country - our economy is strong and we have a way of life that is the envy of many in the world -yet the previous Howard government passed Work Choices and related legislation to attack workers and remove their rights, break unions, allow us to be sacked with no come back, and lower working wages. Why? So that corporate Australia could make even more money and pay its executives even more ridiculous salaries? This should be a time to invest in social infrastructure, not make the lot of working families harder.
Big business wanted these so called “reforms” of industrial laws so it could increase it profits by making people work harder for less. These were ideologically driven reforms that would give bosses more or less unfettered control over workers. These changes were an attack on human rights of Australians.
The changes will hit hardest those least advantaged in our society – young people, women, those in low paid work, casuals and temporary workers.
Taken with the new ‘welfare to work’ provisions - such as those that are pushing young mothers back into the workplace - we have a recipe for injustice. For example, working mothers are more likely to be taking part-time or casual positions where pay loadings are no longer guaranteed. They are also more likely to need the sick and family leave provisions that may soon be stripped away by a Coalition government keen on talking up its ‘family values’. Many will not be in position to bargain.
The Greens will be working to pressure the Rudd government to reverse these legislative burdens in full.