CEPU National President and CEPU Communications Division Secretary, Ed Husic today appeared before the Senate Inquiry into the Rudd Government’s Fair Work Bill today on behalf of CEPU members.
Mr Husic, in his appearance before the Inquiry, urged the Committee to consider the CEPU’s proposals on strengthening the Bill in some aspects, but welcomed other areas of improvement as against the current WorkChoices legislation.
The above documents should be read in conjunction with a previous article, republished below, regarding Telstra’s astonishing, but not surprising, submission to the Inquiry.
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Another Telstra submission about rights…
Right now a Senate Inquiry is travelling the country to hear from people about the Federal Government’s proposed changes to workplace laws.
The CEPU will be appearing before the Inquiry in Canberra on Thursday.
Telstra has also put in a submission. The key points made by the latest corporate converts to human rights and free speech are stunning. Here are the highlights (if they can be described this way):
That there should be “employer Greenfield agreements” – where it is easier for them to claim they are setting up a new business and then set conditions for new employees without these employees having a say on what the conditions and pay rates should be
They argue that unions should individually sign up members to an authority before we can bargain for them – instead of employers recognising the long standing wishes and preferences of their employees to be members of unions that can help them in their workplace
They think unions shouldn’t have the ability, ever, to be covered by or party to an agreement
Unfair dismissal protections should be weakened
They believe the government should WEAKEN the ability of court action to address breaches of agreements
They think union right of entry should be even harder and more difficult to obtain than what is in WorkChoices already – that the only way a union should get right of entry is if a member sticks up their hand in a workplace and calls for the union to come in
And finally – and here’s the gem – Telstra want the operation of the good faith bargaining provisions in the bill to be “clarified” on a number of fronts, particularly on the definition of what constitutes prohibited “unfair” or “capricious” conduct.
Who would have figured that Telstra would want a clarification of what constitutes “unfair” behaviour in good faith bargaining.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you about the double take…
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