|
Council workers face loss of penalty rates, overtime pay: If you thought you were safe from IR laws - think again says ACTU
Thousands of Council workers are facing the loss of weekend penalty rates, overtime pay and public holidays as their employers launch a concerted bid to bring Council employees under the Howard Government's new IR laws it has been revealed today.
Commenting on the bid by Councils to take advantage of the new IR laws to reduce employee entitlements, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said today:
"If you thought you were safe from the new IR laws, think again. This new push by local Councils will affect thousands of workers in local communities across Australia. It could lead to substantial cuts to the take home pay of Council workers and dramatically affect their family's living standards and lifestyles. This latest move by employers shows that many people who thought the IR laws would not affect them should think again.
These laws will slowly but surely erode the pay and conditions of all workers," said Ms Burrow.
Business gets $20m from Fed Govt to sell IR laws
Reports today that the Federal Government has given major employer organisations more than $20 million in funding to help promote the new IR laws is further evidence that the Howard Government and big business are in lock-step with each other to the detriment of working Australians said the ACTU.
"Only last week the Prime Minister said it would be 'unethical' for the government to promote the new laws and yet today it has been uncovered that big business has been given more than $20 million to do just that. This is unethical but it is not surprising," said Ms Burrow.
ACTU Media release 12 April 2007
|
