Abbott's Watchdog Targets Workers

Date: 27 March 2003

The recommendations of the Cole Royal Commission released today threatened the basic rights of employees to bargain collectively for decent wages and conditions, the ACTU said.

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said that the recommendations were the flawed result of a politically motivated process and would do nothing to improve productivity or safety in the construction industry.

Mr Combet said that the proposed new regulatory body - the Australian Building and Construction Commission - would be used to attack the ability of unions to represent their members and bargain on their behalf.

"The Howard Government has systematically undermined the ability of the Industrial Relations Commission to deal with industrial disputes, but now it wants a whole new organisation to regulate industrial relations in the construction sector," Mr Combet said.

"After years of telling everyone to accept deregulation, the Government wants to regulate the industry using a new third party to act as a big stick against unions," Mr Combet said.

"(Workplace Minister) Tony Abbot says it will be a badge of honour when someone is heavily fined by his new watchdog. This is a confrontational model when what the industry needs is cooperation, not conflict.

"The best way to achieve better industrial relations would be to restore the powers of the Industrial Relations Commission to resolve disputes."

Mr Combet said that the Cole recommendations were overwhelmingly directed against unions instead of real problems in the industry including tax evasion, failure to pay employee entitlements, use of phoenix companies and occupational health and safety breaches.

For further information

Contact:	Jeremy Vermeesch
Union:	ACTU
Phone:	0396635655
Contact Mobile:	0408 513 849
Fax:	03 9663 8220
Email:	jvermeesch@actu.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.actu.asn.au/

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