Andrews puts jobs & livelihoods at risk

A new Federal Government ban on the content of common law agreements between workers and employers in the building industry is a dangerous expansion of the Howard Government's unfair IR laws and has put the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of construction workers at risk says the ACTU.

Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has unilaterally changed the Government's national code of practice for the construction industry to prohibit agreements containing important rights for workers including the right to attend union-provided health and safety training.

Commenting on the new ban, ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said:

"This is a highly irresponsible act by Minister Andrews which threatens to undo months of co-operative work by unions and employers in the building industry.

Only recently the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the Office of the Employment Advocate both certified that common law agreements approved by building workers and their employers complied with the law.

But within a few weeks, the Minister has unilaterally moved to change the law and ban agreements that contain important provisions such as prompt dispute settlement procedures involving union delegates, rights for paid leave to attend union-provided health and safety training, and rights for an internal review of dismissal decisions.

Companies that do not comply with the ban cannot bid for federal government funded construction work."

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