Wednesday 5 February 2014

So Work Choices is not "dead, buried and cremated" after all, Mr. Abbott


We want to protect workers' pay and conditions
We want to see the take home wages of Australian workers increase
Under our policy, no Australian worker will be worse off
[Tony Abbott 9 May 2013]

WHAT THE FAIR WORK ACT STATES

Excerpt from the Fair Work Act 2009:

134  The modern awards objective

What is the modern awards objective?

             (1)  The FWC must ensure that modern awards, together with the National Employment Standards, provide a fair and relevant minimum safety net of terms and conditions, taking into account:
                     (a)  relative living standards and the needs of the low paid; and
                     (b)  the need to encourage collective bargaining; and
                     (c)  the need to promote social inclusion through increased workforce participation; and
                     (d)  the need to promote flexible modern work practices and the efficient and productive performance of work; and
                     (da)  the need to provide additional remuneration for:
                              (i)  employees working overtime; or
                             (ii)  employees working unsocial, irregular or unpredictable hours; or
                            (iii)  employees working on weekends or public holidays; or
                            (iv)  employees working shifts; and
                     (e)  the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value; and
                     (f)  the likely impact of any exercise of modern award powers on business, including on productivity, employment costs and the regulatory burden; and
                     (g)  the need to ensure a simple, easy to understand, stable and sustainable modern award system for Australia that avoids unnecessary overlap of modern awards; and
                     (h)  the likely impact of any exercise of modern award powers on employment growth, inflation and the sustainability, performance and competitiveness of the national economy.
This is the modern awards objective.

When does the modern awards objective apply?

             (2)  The modern awards objective applies to the performance or exercise of the FWC's modern award powers, which are:
                     (a)  the FWC's functions or powers under this Part; and
                     (b)  the FWC's functions or powers under Part 2‑6, so far as they relate to modern award minimum wages.

Note:          The FWC must also take into account the objects of this Act and any other applicable provisions. For example, if the FWC is setting, varying or revoking modern award minimum wages, the minimum wages objective also applies (see section 284).


WHAT THE ABBOTT GOVERNMENT WANTS

Fair Work Commission 4 Yearly Review Of Modern Awards documents, statements and submissions can be found here.

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