[Greens-Media] Senator Rachel Siewert - Greens encourage global action on IR laws

[Kelly, Russell (Sen B. Brown)]

Media Release
Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert
Greens encourage global action on IR laws
The Australian Greens have encouraged unions to campaign globally on the
Federal Government's Industrial Relations Fair Work Bill - and vowed to
amend the legislation if necessary to ensure Australia's workers achieve
minimum global workplace safeguards.
Spokesperson on Industrial Relations Senator Rachel Siewert, said The
Greens encouraged unions to take a complaint over the Federal
Government's Fair Work Bill to the International Labour Organisation,
saying there were a number of areas in which the Bill would not meet
international standards.
"I'm not surprised that unions are contemplating this action - the
Greens have expressed strong concerns about the concessions made by the
Federal Government since they announced their policy, and we believe
that some areas of the Bill clearly would not meet ILO standards."
"To date unions have been relatively quiet about the flaws in the Bill -
but it is clear their concerns have not been listened to by the
Industrial Relations Minister Julia Gillard."
 "Taking the Bill to the ILO to ask for an international assessment will
hold the government  to its election promises of dismantling Howard's
unpopular Work Choices system."
"The problem with Julia Gillard's new Bill is that it is based on the
foundations of John Howard's Work Choices -  in fact, whole sections are
a direct copy." 
"Right to strike, right of entry, content of agreements and pattern
bargaining were all directly attacked by Howard's Work Choices and the
new system was meant to return these rights - but Gillard's Bill has
failed to do so."
"The Greens expect the Bill to meet global standards and we will amend
it if necessary to ensure it does."
"It is time to move beyond Work Choices Lite, and had a truly fair
industrial relation system that protects workers and lays the
foundations for inclusive economic prosperity."
For more information phone Russell Kelly 0438 376 082