The federal government has rejected suggestions that any move to expand access to multi-employer bargaining will lead to more strikes and business closures across the country, describing the criticism as “breathless hysteria”.
Key Points:
- Consultation on legislation to allow payment arrangements across the sector will begin this week
- The Coalition has described the proposed changes as a “win” for unions
- Government dismisses criticism as ‘breathless hysteria’
Unions have demanded the power to negotiate wages and conditions between multiple employers in the same industry at the same time, insisting it will deliver better results for workers, particularly in small businesses, where they don’t have the amount of bargaining staff in companies. bigger.
Labor committed to the idea during its Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra last week, arguing that the current industrial relations framework was exacerbating already sluggish wage growth.
The exact nature of any legislative changes is still unclear, and the government is committed to further discussions with unions and business groups on the issue.
The Coalition has seized on concerns that it could allow workers from different employers to strike together, claiming it would crush small businesses.
Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor dismissed that argument and said strikes were becoming less frequent.
“The decline in global disputes is happening in all countries, whether they have industrial or multi-enterprise bargaining,” he told the ABC’s Insiders.
“The breathless hysteria about the massive dispute that is happening because we use a new vehicle to trade is not borne out by the facts.”
Mr O’Connor was asked whether the right to strike action would be included in any legislation, and replied that the government would consider all issues as part of its deliberations.
“We’ve seen collective bargaining cut in half in a decade, and that’s led to the lowest wage growth of any decade in living memory,” he said.
“The legislation we enacted last time in government had a mechanism for low wage bargaining between employers, but frankly it didn’t work.
“We have to try something better and more effective.”
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The federal opposition was not convinced.
“Let me be very, very clear: Peter Dutton and the Coalition, we will fight this every step of the way if we have to,” shadow jobs minister Michaelia Cash told Sky News.
“The Fair Work Act allows multi-employer bargaining, but that’s it: don’t go on strike.
“So the only change to the legislation may be to empower the unions and allow the strike to be legal.”
The coalition accuses the government of wanting to influence the referee
The opposition has accused the government of trying to influence the independent employment arbiter, after it warned of plans to restrict employers’ power to scrap enterprise deals.
Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke sent a letter to the Fair Work Commission last week indicating his intention to publish new legislation that would limit the power of employers to cancel workplace pay agreements .
The move angered the New South Wales government, which is threatening to scrap its own deal covering the state’s rail workers amid ongoing industrial action.
“For a government minister to write to the independent Fair Work Commission and seek to influence how they make decisions should be of deep concern to all Australians,” Senator Cash said.
“The role of a court, the role of a court is to interpret the law as it is, not as Burke and Albanese would like it to be.”
O’Connor said his colleague had raised the issue before and suggested the timing of the letter was a coincidence.
“The Fair Work Commission is independent and the chair and commissioners will work in accordance with the Fair Work Act,” O’Connor said.
“The government, I think as a protocol, was just foreshadowing our intent.”