The federal government needs to close the loophole that allows excessive employer responses to lawful industrial action
While recent reforms by the federal government have helped bring some balance back to workplace laws, urgent change is still needed to stop employers intimidating union members.
The Fair Work Act allows employers to essentially ‘lockout’ their staff and deny them a full day of work and pay if they participate in partial work bans.
The loss of a day’s pay for taking even minor work bans of a few minutes duration, as currently threatened in QLD Catholic schools, is manifestly disproportionate and excessive.
Read here about the threats being made to school staff: IEU Speaks on punitive response to industrial action
The federal government must urgently amend the Fair Work Act and protect the basic rights of employees.