United Voice News
Tony Abbott promises WorkChoices II
Tony Abbott has confirmed what many workers have long suspected: bringing back a WorkChoices clone is high on the Opposition's agenda.
In his Budget in reply speech last night Tony Abbott promised to bring back individual contracts and to wind back unfair dismissal protection. These are the anti-worker policies that united millions of working Australians against Tony Abbott’s party when they were in office.
Australia rejected WorkChoices because it was fundamentally unfair. Tony Abbott is now promising greater “flexibility” in the workplace. Unfortunately, this means flexibility for employers but not for workers. The result would be more power to employers at workers’ expense. Whether or not Tony Abbott calls his policy "WorkChoices" the result would be cuts to workers’ pay and working conditions and reduced job security.
Tony Abbott promises a “fair dinkum paid parental leave scheme which gives women six months leave at their full pay” to be paid for by levying company income over $5 million per year. While this sounds like a good scheme Abbott provides no timing and no explanation of how he will get big business (some of the same big business currently opposing a resource tax) to agree to foot the bill for everyone’s paid leave. The current government scheme provides guaranteed universal paid leave to working families commencing from 2011.
