13 April 2007
The Federal Council meeting of the Independent Education Union of Australia in Brisbane today set out clear principles to overhaul the federal government’s unfair WorkChoices legislation.
The Federal Secretary Lynne Rolley said that the new industrial relations laws have hurt working Australians.
“The Independent Education Union is committed to working to overturn the Howard Government’s IR laws” said IEU Federal Secretary Lynne Rolley.
“Our membership works with young people and they are only too well aware of the difficulties that young people face when they enter the workplace” she said.
“They know that their students and their children are already at a disadvantage when they commence their first jobs. They know that these IR laws give all the power to employers” said Ms Rolley.
“Our membership is determined that they will not be the first generation to hand on to its children and their grandchildren lesser conditions at work”
The following resolution was carried by the Council:
The IEUA reaffirms its commitment to working on behalf of its members to ensure that all Australian workers have industrial laws that provide for fairness in the workplace and that are underpinned by the following principles:
Decent, relevant and secure safety net of fair and enforceable minimum standards contained in awards and/or legislation
Collective bargaining system built on the assumption of good faith bargaining
Rights of union membership and representation
Secure, safe and healthy workplaces
Provisions to enable parties to opt to be bound by State industrial relations laws rather than the national legislation
The IEUA rejects the federal government’s WorkChoices legislation noting that after twelve months of the operation of these laws:
Job security for Australian workers has been eroded
Work conditions are being cut by AWA individual contracts
Workers on AWAs are also being paid less than workers on collective agreements
Wage rises for full time workers have fallen behind the rising cost of living
Many workers on AWAs are working longer hours
Many employers are taking the opportunities provided under the laws to act unfairly in relation to their workers
The IEUA believes that the only way that Australian workers rights can be protected from these harsh laws is to remove the current federal government and work to ensure that the key principles are part of the alternative government’s policy.
The IEUA will actively engage in campaigning to achieve these objectives.
Contact details
Lynne Rolley
Federal Secretary
Ph: 03 9254 1830
Fax: 03 9254 1835
ieu@ieu.org.au