Fed: Industrial fireworks set to follow Abbott agenda
By Denis Peters and Barbara Adam
CANBERRA, Feb 19 AAP - It's not the main political game in town but the tough post-Christmasindustrial relations agenda being rolled out by the federal government has signalled anexplosive year ahead for the workplace.
With war in Iraq looming, and talk of a double dissolution election in its wake alreadybeing openly discussed, any number of a string of industrial relations bills could providethe dissolution trigger.
The level of frustration that Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott - a governmentbomb-thrower in the mould of his ministerial predecessor, Peter Reith - has caused Laborwas displayed by Victorian Industrial Relations Minister Rob Hulls today.
Mr Hulls compared the federal Workplace Relations Act to a dinosaur with an anti-family,anti-women and outdated IR agenda.
"Unfortunately, Tony Abbott believes that the only way that an industrial relationsregime will work is to encourage conflict, to get two parties into a ring, allow themto beat the tripe out of each other and let all the spoils go to the last person standing,"
he said.
Since federal parliament resumed earlier this month, Mr Abbott has either introducedor flagged tough new anti-union legislation designed to keep the embattled union movementon the back foot.
Among those is a bill requiring the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC)to include the needs of the low-paid as a primary focus in adjusting award rates.
Its introduction coincided with a public furore which broke out over the $33 millionpayout to Commonwealth Bank executive Chris Cuffe and took some of the punch out of theannouncement.
But Mr Abbott also vowed to take more aggressive contempt action against unions whodefy court and industrial commission orders with a new bill to provide greater sanctions.
Among bills still before the parliament are those seeking to introduce compulsory secretballots for unions, further cuts to allowable matters in awards, exemption for small businessesfrom unfair dismissal laws, measures to enable employers to move more quickly to preventillegal strikes and bans on union service fees.
The Senate seems likely to remain hostile to these bills and some could provide a doubledissolution trigger if rejected next month.
Another Abbott initiative, the Cole Royal Commission, is due to report to the ministersoon and it seems likely he will use parliament next month to reveal its recommendationsand further attack the construction union.
The timing of the attacks are certain to coincide with campaigning in the NSW election.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow, who today described the royal commission as a politicalwitchhunt from the beginning, said she expects Mr Abbott to crank up the aggressive legislation.
"I expect to see up to 20 bills or more this year, some of that will be simply moreof the same, some of it will be laying the foundation of a possible double-dissolutionelection," she said.
"But all of it will be an attempt to reduce the powers, either of the legislation orunion rights to defend union people, it amounts to the same thing."
Among those likely to surface are a reported plan to require academic researchers tosign government Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) in order to obtain government grants.
A series of media reports indicate Mr Abbott will also attempt to push commonwealthpublic servants onto AWAs.
The Australian Democrats, who hold the crucial balance of power in the Senate, havebeen cool on most of the legislation seen to date and much of the government attack isset to concentrate on Senate frustration over the government's workplace agenda.
Unions have vowed to fight the agenda. Look out for the Australian Manufacturing WorkersUnion's pattern bargaining Campaign 2003, beginning at the end of March, for the fireworksto start.
AAP dep/sb/ldj/de
KEYWORD: WORKPLACE (AAP NEWS ANALYSIS)
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