12-05-08, 9:23 am

Original source: The Guardian (Australia)

Labor was elected 12 months ago with high expectations that it would get rid of the Howard government’s repressive, anti-union, anti-worker industrial relations laws, WorkChoices. Your Rights at Work Committees and other trade union and community organizations had campaigned hard to bring about the defeat of an extremely unpopular government and restore basic democratic and trade union rights. On November 25, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard presented Labor’s Fair Work Bill 2008 to Parliament, a bill to replace WorkChoices.

In her second reading speech, Ms Gillard said the legislation would create 'a new workplace relations system', Fair Work Australia (FWA). WorkChoices strengthened the hand of employers, opening the way for a massive onslaught on wages and working conditions. The question is whether the new system being put forward by Labor will adequately curb the arbitrary powers of employers and restore basic trade union rights and protection of workers rights.

At the very minimum, legislation is required for: industry-wide collective agreements, negotiated by unions, with no restrictions on pattern bargaining; the removal of capacity for non-union bargaining and agreements; abolition of individual employment contracts; the right to strike at any time around industrial and political issues and in solidarity with other workers; trade unions to have right of entry to workplaces to recruit, organize, represent and protect workers; legislated minimum conditions that apply to all workers; bring all workers under the same umbrella, on a non-discriminatory basis.

So how does Fair Work measure up?

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