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On 1 July 2005, John Howard and the Liberal Party gets total control of the Senate. Your workplace rights are to be attacked. Govt Plan Slashes Award Safety Net, Minimum Wages & Unfair Dismissal Protections Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) 26 May 2005

Millions of Australian workers are set to lose their access to award conditions, protections from unfair dismissal and an effective safety net of minimum wages under new workplace reforms announced by the Prime Minister John Howard earlier today.

Responding to the Federal Government's announcement of its radical plan tostrip Australian workers of many of their most basic rights at work ACTUSecretary Greg Combet said:

"Now that John Howard has control of the Senate he has dumped the battlers.The changes announced by the Government are an assault on the rights and livingstandards of Australian workers. The changes will benefit business at theexpense of working families. They are a huge free kick for big business, and akick in the guts for workers and their families.

The industrial relations changes are biased and extremely unfair. They willreduce living standards at a time when many people are just keeping their headsabove water. Under the Government's proposals:

• 99% of companies will be able to sack employees indiscriminately. Over 3.6million workers will have no remedy against unfair dismissal.
• Minimum wages will be reduced over time and all other award wages will befrozen.
• The Award safety net will be effectively abolished and replaced with justfour minimum conditions.
• Workers will be able to be forced onto individual contracts that cutexisting conditions
• It will harder for unions to provide workers with information and assistance
• The independent Industrial Relations Commission is to begutted.
• Decent State industrial relations systems will be attacked.
• Employers will have unprecedented workplace power overemployees.

This is a bleak future for Australian workplaces and for working people.These changes will make our society more like the United States where millionsof working poor struggle on low wages in jobs without hope.

Unions will fight these changes with determination and discipline. Unionswill fight to protect the rights of Australians at work. And we want people tojoin with us. We will fight on 3 fronts against the changes:

In a disciplined workplace campaign to protect the pay and conditions ofAustralian employees

Build opposition to the changes in the wider community - a paid advertisingcampaign will be part of that approach

Work with the Labor State and Territory Governments and other organisationsto build a wall of opposition to the Federal Government's laws

An initial national week of protest activity will commence on June 27 and wewill be encouraging as many people to participate as possible.

It will be followed up in subsequent weeks by further protests. The importantthing at this stage is that everyone takes the time to find out how theseproposed new industrial relations laws will affect them at work. People canvisit the ACTU website to find out more - www.rightsatwork.com.au " said GregCombet.

See ACTU website for more information:
• UnfairDismissal Factsheet, ACTU, 26 May 2005
• Cutting EmploymentConditions Factsheet, ACTU, 26 May 2005

Further information:

• GovernmentStatement , Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, 26 May2005

This article can be found on the Web at: ACTU Website

Delegates meeting in Newcastle 27 May