[Greens-Media] Women worried about ALP's IR laws

[Norton, Tim (Sen R. Siewert)]

Women worried about ALP's IR laws
Wednesday 12th November 2008

Today, Senator Siewert told stories of women workers currently finding
life very difficult under Work Choices and wondering what their working
lives will be like under Forward with Fairness. 

The stories were taken from a booklet prepared by Asian Women at Work
called 'Cries from the Workplace: 20 women, 20 stories'. The women
outline what they want from fair workplace laws, including broad minimum
legal protection, unfair dismissal laws, stronger anti-bullying laws and
removal of restrictions in unions' rights of entry. 

"We haven't seen the Government's Forward with Fairness legislation yet
but on the basis of the implementation plan and the Minister's public
comments so far we believe that Forward with Fairness will not be
meeting the needs of many Australian workers," said Australian Greens
spokesperson on industrial relations Senator Rachel Siewert.

"Women are more likely to be in award-reliant, low paid, part-time or
casual jobs, and as such are reliant on Government protections to ensure
fair working conditions. I have heard stories of women workers being
made to meet union representatives in the toilet area, of women being
held to ransom by employers refusing to negotiate with the union for a
collective agreement, and of women threatened with dismissal for
insisting on their rights."

"We are already seeing minimum conditions reduced from pre-Work Choices
levels under the award modernisation process with the potential for
these standards to be undermined even further with individual
flexibility agreements."

"What must underpin our consideration of any future workplace laws is
the inherent right of employees to be treated with dignity. If our
framework of laws and the enforcement of those laws do not respect the
dignity of work then they cannot be considered fair," said Senator
Siewert.

"I urge Minister Gillard and my fellow parliamentarians to not ignore or
silence the very people who need to be heard the loudest," she
concluded.

For more information or media enquiries please call Tim Norton on 0418
401 180