Abbott must guarantee penalty rates
Julia Gillard
posted Wednesday, 17 February 2010
The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, today said no pay packet is safe after Mr Abbott refused yesterday to guarantee the penalty rates and overtime for millions of working Australians.
The Australian reports today that Opposition Workplace Relations spokesperson, Senator Eric Abetz, will remove penalty rates, reintroduce AWAs which stripped away basic conditions and exempt many businesses from unfair dismissal laws if the Opposition is elected.
Senator Abetz is one of the architects of Work Choices and now he’s tinkering away on Work Choices Mk II at Mr Abbott’s instruction.
Mr Abbott’s refusal to guarantee penalty rates and overtime should send a chill down the spine of every working Australian.
The last time the Liberal Party refused to guarantee penalty rates and overtime was before the 2004 election.
Every Australian will remember the result after the election was Work Choices and AWA’s.
Workplace Authority figures in 2006 confirmed AWAs were a rip off for working people, taking away basic conditions without any compensation:
- 64 per cent cut annual leave loading;
- 63 per cent cut penalty rates;
- 52 per cent cut shift work loadings;
- 51 per cent cut overtime loadings;
- 48 per cent cut monetary allowances;
- 46 per cent cut public holiday pay;
- 40 per cent cut rest breaks;
- 36 per cent cut declared public holidays; and
- 22 per cent provided workers with no pay rise at all, some for up to 5 years.
The reality is penalty rates and overtime are vital to keeping millions of working families heads above water.
Without the extra income that comes from penalty rates and overtime many of these families will find it very, very tough to make ends meet.it very, very tough to make ends meet.a
Tags: Abbott, Fair Work, Industrial Relations, Penalty Rates