Employment Minister Tony Burke has directed the Truthful Work Fee (FWC) to overview the fashionable award system to evaluate doubtlessly together with a extra formal proper for workers to earn a living from home.
Enterprise teams will not be completely happy. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Trade (ACCI) director of office relations Jessica Tinsley mentioned this could have an effect on productiveness charges, whereas Australian Trade Group (AIG) chief govt Innes Willox mentioned the overview posed “a transparent threat of regulatory overreach and intrusion”, including that “flexibility and productiveness” had been additionally in danger. (That is concerning a measure that will assure higher… uh… flexibility about how and the place work is completed, and which hasn’t been proven to have any actual affect on productiveness?)
If all of it appears a bit half-hearted, it might be from the exhausting stage of catastrophising that follows any enchancment in workers’ rights, nevertheless minor.
Proper to disconnect
Most lately, enterprise teams took umbrage with the newly legislated proper for workers to “disconnect” after hours by, say, ignoring “unreasonable” requests and messages from their employer after hours. This modification was apparently creating “large complexity and uncertainty about how workplaces function” for employers.
“There’s now the actual chance of battle the place beforehand there have been agreed flexibilities and trade-offs … disputes over attempting to maintain a office shifting at the moment are extra seemingly,” Willox mentioned.
Identical job, identical pay
The reforms, largely aimed on the gig economic system, prevented employers from hiring contractors at a decrease price than supplied to an worker for a similar job. These adjustments would “harm trade, undermine productiveness and lead to fewer job alternatives in addition to increased prices that can doubtlessly be handed on to shoppers,” based on the AIG.
“The price of dwelling for tens of millions of Australians will rise, and the job-creation capability of companies might be smothered”, reckoned the ACCI.
It will “affect each enterprise and each employee in Australia”, mentioned the Enterprise Council of Australia.
“The Albanese authorities has declared warfare in opposition to the Australian sources sector and weakened Australia’s economic system,” mentioned the Minerals Council.
Actually any actual wage improve of any type ever
In 2023, with a price of dwelling disaster raging and (profits-lead) inflation surging, the AIG referred to as on the Truthful Work Fee to “train restraint and warning” when setting the minimal wage.
“[Our] submission will draw consideration to the actual threat that an extreme wage rise would tip Australia into recession,” Willox mentioned.
In 2022, “any push for unsustainable wages progress would seemingly threat the viability of companies and the roles they maintain and create,” ACCI chief govt Andrew McKellar argued.
In 2021, the Restaurant and Catering Affiliation mentioned any improve within the nationwide minimal wage can be “detrimental to many trade operators, who might be struggling to maintain their companies afloat following the JobKeeper scheme and the rise to the superannuation assure”, whereas the ACCI argued for a 1.1% pay improve, and referred to as the two.5% the FWC went with “untimely and irresponsible”.
However we’re being unfair, absolutely? The COVID-19 period was a troublesome time, and enterprise teams would by no means be so stingy within the regular run of issues. Take 2018, when not solely was the nation blissfully unaware of the financial turmoil headed its means, but in addition the FWC was implementing cuts to the penalty charges beforehand earned by minimal wage staff in retail, hospitality and quick meals.
That 12 months the AIG referred to as for a rise of 1.8% as a result of an “extreme improve would scale back the job safety of low-paid staff and scale back employment alternatives for the unemployed and underemployed”.
Parental go away
Then opposition chief Tony Abbott proposed a government-funded parental go away scheme funded by a tax on huge enterprise in 2010. It didn’t go down properly.
“The most important beneficiaries of a paid maternity go away scheme, the workers, get off scot-free,” mentioned the ACCI. “They pay nothing, however the employers who’re far much less beneficially rewarded via this scheme find yourself carrying the complete price. That’s unfair.”
AIG referred to as the scheme “flawed, unrealistic and a deterrent to funding in Australia”.
Any minimal circumstances of employment
The draconian Howard-era WorkChoices regime, which stripped all however the barest employment protections, appears to be the final time employer teams discovered nothing to fret about in an industrial relations reform. In 2005, within the lead-up to its implementation, president of the Enterprise Council of Australia Michael Chaney mentioned everybody ought to simply chill: “I believe in a 12 months’s time individuals within the workforce will look again and say: ‘What was all that noise about?’ as a result of life continued as we knew it.”
By 2007, when it was clear WorkChoices might properly convey the Howard authorities to an finish, a coalition of 19 enterprise teams shelled out for a $10.5 million scare marketing campaign to maintain the legal guidelines in place. Memorably, they needed to pull an advert that includes union heavies menacing a small enterprise when it was revealed mentioned heavies had been performed by precise hardened crims.
By 2012, as reported within the then Fairfax papers, enterprise teams had been complaining in regards to the Truthful Work Act, which changed Workchoices. “The pendulum” had apparently “swung too far again in direction of staff and unions” and there wanted to be, you guessed it, elevated “flexibility” as a result of, oh it, the act was “stifling productiveness and progress”.
In order that’s 20 years when there was apparently no higher risk to productiveness and suppleness than minor enhancements in staff’ rights.