How have the Industrial Relations (IR) Laws affected you? Please elaborate...

**Hollywood** · 21-11-2007 17:37

With the election so close, I'd like to hear your stories of how the IR laws have affected you, your family or someone you know. It seems to be the biggest issue that the Labor and Liberal parties are arguing over, and I need more knowledge on this topic to help me vote.

Thanks in advance!

**devlin's mom** · 21-11-2007 17:52

My husband's nephew is a security guard and when their enterprise agreement expired, they were made to sign an AWA. There're no more penalty rates and he loses out by approximately $12,000 a year. It was take it or leave it, no opportunity to negotiate whatsoever. This isn�t a story I heard of from someone else, it has directly affected my family. I have seen how his family has suffered trying to meet their mortgage and raise their children.

**Angelmist♥** · 21-11-2007 17:54

Hi Libby

Here's a link to a thread I made ages ago asking the same thing

I hope it helps.

FWIW they haven't affected us so far at all. My family though (as in sister and BIL) have all had pay rises and lump sum repayments because they were being underpaid pre-workchoices.

**Mamaduke** · 21-11-2007 18:22

I don't know about my cousin's stepsister's dog walker but in my immediate family...
It has not affected DH at all - factory worker.
When signing the new contracts at my Mum's work the employees realised through the fairness test that they had been underpaid for years and it was only the new IR laws that brought it to the attention of the workers. The Ombudsman is now involved.

**Roopee** · 21-11-2007 18:31

My husband has a pay rise and has been able to negotiate more family friendly work hours

.

IR Laws have worked well for us so far.

**jenkinsdakota** · 21-11-2007 18:34

It has not affected me, but I heard in Adelaide that a group of factory workers had their wages dropped by 20%

If the Liberals fully deregulated the labor market and leave everyone to fight for himself, then we may even see the end of minimum wages. Capitalists and freemarketers in general (including most Liberals) believe minimum wage should be abolished because doing so reduces unemployment and improves GDP growth. They are right. Reducing minimum wage and exploiting workers does improve the economy. To see that you only need to look at China where workers are paid a few cents per hour. The Chinese economy grows at about 12 per cent per year compared to Europe's 2 per cent. Exploitation does improve the economy, but there may be adverse costs in the form of job security, etc.

**MW&S** · 21-11-2007 18:40

Personally The IR Laws havent made a diffrence to Dh and I at all.
If your boss is the type of person to give you a bad AWA there are avenues you can take, Take the Fairness test
Go to the Ombusman

and after all that do you really want to be working for someone like that anyway?! I know I wouldnt..

**RedPanda** · 21-11-2007 19:22

It hasn't affected me at all. I've always been on an individually-negotiated contract. It hasn't affected my husband either (yet!). His isn't due for renegotiation for a while yet.

**IAdoreYou** · 21-11-2007 21:28

Originally Posted by LibbyG

With the election so close, I'd like to hear your stories of how the IR laws have affected you, your family or someone you know. It seems to be the biggest issue that the Labor and Liberal parties are arguing over, and I need more knowledge on this topic to help me vote.

Thanks in advance!

Libby - my DH is on an EBA agreement and has been for the past 10 years, so IR laws don't affect him.

Also, we can't forget that Work Choices is "Legislation" that has been passed by the Senate. It can't be "scrapped" by Labor. It can only be "amended" but that would mean another debate in the Senate, and various "readings" and so forth. I believe It really can't be done and K07 is either silly or lying to us

Happy Voting!

**BJelly** · 21-11-2007 21:57

Originally Posted by IAdoreYou

Also, we can't forget that Work Choices is "Legislation" that has been passed by the Senate. It can't be "scrapped" by Labor. It can only be "amended" but that would mean another debate in the Senate, and various "readings" and so forth. I believe It really can't be done and K07 is either silly or lying to us

Happy Voting!

If the ALP get in and the Coalition lose control of the Senate they should be able to work with other parties such as Family First, the Greens and any Dems that get elected to get rid of Workchoices, because all of these parties are against Workchoices. The Coalition were the only ones who liked it. The only reason it got through the Senate was because it was controlled by the Coalition and it got rubberstamped.