The Australian Institute of Employment Rights has today released its 2016 election analysis.
Using the Australian Charter of Employment Rights to assess the industrial relations policies of the Coalition, Labor and the Greens, the AIER concludes none of the major parties is offering any substantial policies to address growing concerns around the changing nature of work and increasing insecurity.
The Charter offers a blueprint for fair and decent workplaces. Current workplace regulation falls short of meeting key Charter principles. Minimum standards are increasingly sidestepped while the collective voice of workers is undermined and reduced. There continues to be no obligation on both employers and workers to act in good faith.
“Employment rights are under pressure in Australia. Large scale exploitation is occurring as seen with 7-Eleven and the temporary workers in the horticultural industry. Collective agreements that undermine the safety net are being exposed by whistleblowers. Wage growth is at record lows as is union membership,” said Clare Ozich, Executive Director of the AIER.
“Yet, outside using totemic issues to play to their base – the Coalition going after union corruption and Labor campaigning on penalty rates – the major parties are ignoring growing concerns about providing economic security in a world of changing work,” said Ms Ozich.
The policies of the Coalition such as reintroducing the ABCC or “internships” for young people on unemployment benefits would move Australia further away from meeting the principles of fair and decent work. In contrast Labor’s policies would improve workplace regulations to a limited extent. The Greens’ policies are closest to meeting the principles of the Charter.
If and when relevant policy is released, AIER’s analysis will be updated.
A summary of the analysis can be read here.
Download the comprehensive comparison of the Charter principles with the policies on offer from the Liberals, Labor and the Greens.
The Australian Charter of Employment Rights sets out ten principles for fair and just workplace relations laws and practices. It is a blueprint for industrial relations in Australia, and is the foundation underlying all of the work of the Australian Institute of Employment Rights’ (AIER).The Charter was developed through the collaborative effort of seventeen of Australia’s leading industrial relations practitioners, lawyers and economists.
Media contact: Clare Ozich – 0403 456 131