Unions would be given free rein to bargain over public service staff levels and even specific appointments under a radical industrial overhaul proposed by the Andrews government.
In what could be the biggest workplace shakeup since Victoria handed the majority of its industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth in 1996, the state government wants to give the federal Fair Work Commission sharper teeth to sign off on agreements covering the "number, identity and appointment, and redundancy" of public servants.
For almost two decades, Victorian bosses and workers have had most of their workplace conditions regulated by federal laws and industrial tribunals – except issues such as staffing levels, appointments and redundancy provisions which might interfere with the state's ability to function.
But in a submission to the Productivity Commission's review of Australia's industrial framework, the Andrews government reveals it wants to overhaul workplace laws to give the commission powers to approve agreements "containing matters that are otherwise excluded".
The move follows a long-running battle between the United Firefighters Union and the Country Fire Authority that began with an October 2010 industrial deal to employ more than 300 extra firefighters to tackle safety concerns.
But when the Coalition came to power a month later, it attempted to unravel the agreement, arguing the Commonwealth had no constitutional jurisdiction over how many firefighters the state should employ. The UFU initially lost a Federal Court case against the CFA, but later won an appeal after a lengthy legal battle.
A spokesman for Industrial Relations Minister Natalie Hutchins confirmed the government would attempt to introduce new laws to ensure union agreements covering staffing levels were enforceable. "We are committed to not using jurisdictional arguments to undermine the integrity of existing agreements," he said.
The move will be seen as a major concession to unions, with claims it will allow them to dictate staffing decisions. Shadow Attorney-General John Pesutto accused Premier Daniel Andrews of putting unions ahead of people. "Under these changes, union bosses will have the ability to control the way vital public services are delivered to Victorians and veto basic public sector management decisions, like recruitment levels," Mr Pesutto said.
UFU state secretary Peter Marshall said the change would be a big win. "We commend the Andrews government for ensuring that workers have decency by allowing them to ... negotiate over conditions of employment that the majority of workers can include."
In what could be the biggest workplace shakeup since Victoria handed the majority of its industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth in 1996, the state government wants to give the federal Fair Work Commission sharper teeth to sign off on agreements covering the "number, identity and appointment, and redundancy" of public servants.
For almost two decades, Victorian bosses and workers have had most of their workplace conditions regulated by federal laws and industrial tribunals – except issues such as staffing levels, appointments and redundancy provisions which might interfere with the state's ability to function.
But in a submission to the Productivity Commission's review of Australia's industrial framework, the Andrews government reveals it wants to overhaul workplace laws to give the commission powers to approve agreements "containing matters that are otherwise excluded".
The move follows a long-running battle between the United Firefighters Union and the Country Fire Authority that began with an October 2010 industrial deal to employ more than 300 extra firefighters to tackle safety concerns.
But when the Coalition came to power a month later, it attempted to unravel the agreement, arguing the Commonwealth had no constitutional jurisdiction over how many firefighters the state should employ. The UFU initially lost a Federal Court case against the CFA, but later won an appeal after a lengthy legal battle.
A spokesman for Industrial Relations Minister Natalie Hutchins confirmed the government would attempt to introduce new laws to ensure union agreements covering staffing levels were enforceable. "We are committed to not using jurisdictional arguments to undermine the integrity of existing agreements," he said.
The move will be seen as a major concession to unions, with claims it will allow them to dictate staffing decisions. Shadow Attorney-General John Pesutto accused Premier Daniel Andrews of putting unions ahead of people. "Under these changes, union bosses will have the ability to control the way vital public services are delivered to Victorians and veto basic public sector management decisions, like recruitment levels," Mr Pesutto said.
UFU state secretary Peter Marshall said the change would be a big win. "We commend the Andrews government for ensuring that workers have decency by allowing them to ... negotiate over conditions of employment that the majority of workers can include."
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