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ONE YEAR OF WORKCHOICES SHOWS FEDERAL GOVT'S NEW IR LAWS ARE HURTING WORKING FAMILIES
With the Federal Government's new industrial relations laws proving a strong negative for the Liberal Party in the weekend's NSW State election the ACTU has issued a report showing that after a year of WorkChoices the new IR laws are hurting Australian working families.
The report, which was launched by ACTU President Sharan Burrow at Parliament House in Canberra, shows that after 12 months of the new IR laws:
* Job security for Australian workers has been eroded - with 3,761,000 Australian workers employed in businesses with less than 100 staff having lost any protection from being unfairly dismissed.
* Work conditions are being cut by AWA individual contracts - 1,000 Australian workers a day are being pushed onto AWAs which the Federal Government's own survey shows that every new AWA is cutting at least one so called 'protected award condition' and that 51% cut Overtime Loadings; 63% cut Penalty Rates; 46% cut Public Holidays pay; 52% cut Shift Work Loadings; and 40% cut Rest Breaks.
* Workers on AWAs are also being paid less than workers on collective agreements - workers on AWAs earn an average 90 cents an hour less than workers covered by collective agreements (non-managerial workers).
* Wage rises for all full time workers have fallen behind the rising cost of living - compared to the rate of inflation total average earnings for full time adult workers have dropped by -0.6% over the past 12 months since the new IR laws came into effect.
* Many workers on AWAs are working longer hours
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:
'It is now 12 months since the Howard Government introduced its new IR laws and for Australian working families there is little to celebrate.
'It is not just the many workers who have been unfairly dismissed or pushed onto AWA individual contracts that have been negatively affected by these laws, what this report shows is that the loss of rights for workers under WorkChoices is affecting every working family.
'The only thing for these laws is for them to be ripped up and thrown out.
'NSW voters sent a clear message on Saturday that Australians want their government to stand up for the rights and interest of working people.
'After 12 months of the new IR laws the verdict is in - these laws are hurting working families and they need to go,' said Ms Burrow.
ACTU Media release 26 March 2007
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