For those out there that support the AWA & Work Choices under the missaprehension that they do not significantly disadvantage workers, please read the following submissions to the Senate Committee into AWA's;
(LHMU Submission)
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/eet_ctte/indust_agreements/submissions/sub020.pdf

CFMEU Submission
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/eet_ctte/indust_agreements/submissions/sub016.pdf

Professor Andrew Stewarts Submission
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/eet_ctte/indust_agreements/submissions/sub012.pdf

These spell out a disturbing trend, being that some employers have purported to have a registered agreement, when they did not, and could not have for the agreement does not comply with the minima. They also provide evidence of employers' registering AWA's that are neither signed, nor agreed to, on behalf of employees' who are unaware of this fact.

They also spell out that the Office of the Employment Advocate is incapable of intervening in such a dispute, only parties to the AWA may discuss the AWA, thereby preventing employees' seeking or gaining legal advice prior to agreeing to it.

All I can say is that none of the supporters of this have ever had to work hard, or they would realise what some employers are like.

DLC - What a man you are, you tell it like it is mate, robb the employees, and increase your profits by 25%, and you can go on to buy/establish another seatshop with more employees earning starvation wages, to produce even more profit for the employer, at the expense of the employee. What a kid and generous person you are, if I knew your name I would nominate you for the Nobel Peace Prise, in the compassionate section.

Worth noteing FIRM gathered by the river at Taree yesterday to question the need for this reform.
Zero medea turned up yet by this time next year the very real suffering this bill brings will see medea flood these meetings.
Already some little more than children have signed work contracts for less than $4 an hour and can work for 12 months on trial before starting first year of aprentice ship.
Well done John Howard ,your love of Battlers can be seen in the numbers you create.

It is widely recognized by most observers that the new Industrial relations changes will hurt most those who can least afford it – Australia’s working poor. Reduced wages and conditions arising out of these changes will erode the standard of living of working men and women and their families who are the backbone of our nation.

Whilst it is true that these laws (at least in the short term) will not affect all workers because of the current skill shortage crisis.

It will however effect your members, as we believe that they will cause a lot of industrial relations tensions and wage inflation, as more and more employies realise that their companies by backing these new laws have absolutely no loyalty to their workforce.

Your representative in this process one Peter Hendy the head of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been very outspoken in his support of this process. There is a reason for this – it was after all his brainchild!

As former chief-of-staff to the Howard Governments Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith, Peter Hendy was largely responsible for the development of the policy formulations that have now become the controversial Workplace Relations Bill.

Further Hendy's main focus since becoming CEO of the ACCI has been to push the governments (and his own warped ideological barrow ‘the Workplace Relations Bill’ (sic) and the oxymoron ‘Work Choices’ campaign.

My strong suggestion is that as affiliates of the ACCI either quickly replace Hendy with a CEO who has a more humane outlook ie. One that actually has a business background and is not a politician or one of their lackies. Or if that proves not to be possible then you should take the honorable path and just leave the ACCI and form a more ‘ethical’ peak business body.

Or they will find that the ACCI membership may as well as the Howard Government will be held responsible for the current 'IR' shambles by the Australian public.