Industrial Armageddon Begins

Date: 23 March 2006

In Melbourne today, Australian workers worst nightmare in regards to the Howard Governments Industrial Relations changes began.

The applications to vary the awards, which had been subject of negotiation between the parties for quite sometime, were to include the family friendly provisions from the recent ACTU test case, salary packaging, and a limited pay out of shift penalties for workers taken off shifts by Telstra costing workers families thousands of dollars a year.

What is evident from today is that under the new legislation Australian workers will no longer be able to bring applications before the commission to improve their working lives by varying awards. As predicted by unions the already uneven playing field is now tilted totally towards the employers. Under the legislation, employers and the Howard government can make applications to strip workers of their pay and conditions.

Howard has engaged in a deceptive exercise to try and convince Australians that the 'sky would not fall in' as a result of the new legislation. For Australian workers, the sky is starting to fall.

For further information

Contact:	Len Cooper
Union:	CEPU Victorian branch
Phone:	03 9387 3703
Contact Mobile:	0438 389302
WWW:	http://www.cepu.asn.au

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