26 April 2013
Possible new employment law removes workers' right to choose
The government’s proposed new Employment Relations Amendment bill will not only be bad for workers but, in the case of
tertiary education, it will be bad for students, says TEU president Lesley Francey.
“This bill, and particularly its provision to remove an employer’s duty to conclude bargaining, aims to drive people out
of unions and into lower paying jobs with lesser working conditions. For workers this will make it harder to take home
the pay they need to support their families and to spend time with their families and communities.”
“For students in tertiary education they are going to meet staff who have higher workloads, worse pay and precarious
casual employment agreements - none of which is good for those who should be expecting quality learning conditions.”
Ms Francey says students trying to work and pay their way through their studies are often themselves in the precarious
jobs that will be first hit and worst hit by this low-wage legislation.
“This bill has nothing for workers in it, nothing for the economy, and nothing for communities.”
“For TEU members working in tertiary education institutions these changes will remove our right to choose. These changes
could result in thousands of workers going from collective agreements to individual agreements against their will
because their employer has decided that negotiations are finished and the collective agreement has expired. TEU members
choose to belong to a union and belong to a collective agreement. These law changes will take away that right,” said Ms
Francey.
ENDS