The implication of the Government's attempts to engineer increased numbers of workers on to individual contracts, known as Australian Workplace Agreements, is possibly the least understood plank in its reform package. Individual contracts have been around since 1997. But the uptake has been slow. With Government control of the Senate, the gloves come off.
Under the proposals, bosses will gain huge new freedom to offer contracts to individual workers that undermine almost every condition in the award. Bosses will be able to unilaterally dispense with penalty rates, shift allowances, minimum lengths of shifts and other conditions without having to, as now, compensate by increasing base pay.
Bosses will rule. They alone will set terms and conditions. The research undertaken on the operation of workplace agreements up to now shows workers appear to have had no input in drafting them. There is nothing "individual" about individual contracts.read more
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