Howard's 'fairness' will cost you $25,000

ACTU President Greg Combet has slammed the government's new fairness test as a farce, with claims unhappy workers will be forced to go to the High Court.

Anyone wishing to question a ruling on their AWA individual contract would have to lodge an appeal - costing them up to $25,000.

"An ordinary person may be earning fifteen or sixteen dollars an hour, feeling that they've had to sign an unfair individual contract and the only you can have it reviewed is to go to the High Court and maybe pay ten thousand dollars a day on lawyers fees - it's impossible," Mr Combet said.