TLC campaign against industrial relations legislation slammed

27/7/93

The Trades and Labor Council is doing a serious disservice to the members it is supposed to represent with the announcement today of a major campaign against the State Government's new industrial relations legislation.

Labour Relations Minister Graham Kierath said the statement today by the TLC showed that it was set to launch a campaign of misinformation in order to rob workers of the opportunity to negotiate a better deal with their employers.

"On top of that, they are yet again encouraging workers to lose a day's pay to take part in another failed protest against something which will give workers a better deal," Mr Kierath said.

"It is also wrong for the TLC to intimate that it has the support of the State's 700,000 strong workforce.  I believe many of them will support the new system, as had already been shown in a number of enterprise agreements which have been negotiated.

"I believe the union movement is caught between a rock and a hard place, because they are also at serious loggerheads with the Federal Government over changes to their industrial relations system.

"It is ironic that two Governments which are ideologically poles apart are heading down the same path of workplace agreements.

"The Federal Government, too, realises that this is the way to increase productivity which will help create the wealth necessary to defend living standards and generate jobs.

"I therefore hope the TLC will also be directing its protest towards the Federal Government."

Mr Kierath said claims by the TLC over reduced conditions for workers were naive in the extreme and showed a complete lack of understanding of the way business operated.

"There are already a number of enterprise agreements in operation in this State including the historic BHP agreement - and these had resulted in a much better deal for workers," he said.

"No business people are going to sacrifice the standard of the workers they use because it will result in substandard and uncompetitive products which will simply put them out of business.

"They will be chasing good workers and will be prepared to pay good money to get their services."

The Minister said the only thing threatened by the legislation was the bully-boy tactics of some unions.

For the responsible unions, there would be a major role to play in both workplace agreements and under the old industrial system which would continue to operate.

Media contact: Brian Coulter 222 9595