Web war against Reith law

Date: 23 May 2000

ACTU President Sharan Burrow today launched a campaign website developed to focus community activity against Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith's anti-industry bargaining Workplace Relations Amendment Bill.

Ms Burrows launched the site at www.actu.asn.au after speaking to a meeting of 100 union delegates from workplaces in Melbourne's western suburbs about the proposed legislation.

"Many in the community believe that Mr Reith's workplace laws have already swung the balance too far against workers," said Ms Burrow. "His latest proposals will tip that balance even further and we are calling on the Democrats and the Labor Party to block them."

Ms Burrow said that the future of the proposed legislation was largely in the hands of the Democrats and that a primary focus of the website was to encourage the community to contact and petition Democrat members to block the Bill.

Ms Burrow also accused Mr Reith of being disingenuous when he said on television last night that pattern bargaining was acceptable if the parties wanted it.

"You cannot say a bargaining system is OK but not give employees the basic right to take legal industrial action in support of a claim. Without that right, a bargaining system is useless and Mr Reith knows it," she said.

"A system that denies workers the right to take industrial action is biased. The system becomes a one-way street in favour of employers."

Ms Burrow said industry-wide bargaining did not destroy enterprise bargaining.

"There must be flexibility to support both. An agreement made at industry level can be varied to suit an individual enterprise."

For further information

Contact:	George Wright
Union:	ACTU
Phone:	0419 556 616
Fax:	(03) 9663 4051
Email:	gwright@actu.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.actu.asn.au/campaigns/thirdwave/index.htm

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