From the AFR:
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has announced an industrial relations policy on Thursday cracking down on right of entry to work places by union officials.
The policy – the Coalition’s second formal policy launched this election year – also re-emphasises the importance of productivity in enterprise bargaining, tightens the rules on industrial action and improves access to individual agreements.
The Howard’s government’s construction industry watchdog, the Australian Building and Construction Commission, will be re-established, as will a registered organisations commission to improve union governance and crack down on corruption.
As previously promised, Mr Abbott will introduce laws that impose the same penalties on union officials guilty of corrupt behaviour as currently apply to company directors.
He also promised a Productivity Commission will examine the nation’s work place laws.
Tony commented:
“Under our policy, no Australian worker will be worse off and businesses will be encouraged to grow.
We want to protect workers’ pay and conditions. We also want to maximise their opportunities to get good jobs. The only people with anything to worry about from this policy are dodgy union officials and their supporters.
As Tony’s rhetoric suggests, the policy is clearly framed as a political document with up front attempts to allay fears of any return to Work Choices. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. It doesn’t make the policy feel thought through but the measures are reasonable enough.
If anything the document is too weak. I would rather see unfair dismissal rolled back for small business. It also recommits to the admirable but profit and productivity devouring parental leave scheme.
But it is what it is. Very little space remains for genuine productivity reform with interests on the Left and Right in control via advertising scare campaigns.
As a political document this looks like it’ll work fine and it will be an improvement on Labor’s effort as we chase productivity gains in the years ahead.
Move along, nothing to see here.
