At yesterday's start of Senate committee hearings on the Federal Government's industrial relations legislation, Senator Doug Cameron criticised the bill's ban on "pattern bargaining", where unions seek similar enterprise agreements across an industry.He questioned how these restrictions could be reconciled with the bill's objectives of encouraging collective bargaining and with Australia's obligations under International Labor Organisation conventions on the right to strike.
"Is there any other country in the world where such restrictions on pattern bargaining apply?" Senator Cameron asked.
Senator Cameron said, "you can't help but have similar claims being made at the enterprise level because workers … are facing … similar economic circumstances".
"How do you then determine whether it is pattern bargaining or legitimate enterprise bargaining?"
Senator Cameron also questioned the fairness of excluding employees with less than six months' service at large employers and with less than 12 months at small employers from making unfair dismissal claims.
The committee will report to the Senate in late February.
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