The ACTU has branded a new workplace policy agenda being advanced by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) as extreme.
COSBOA is lobbying for the definition of a small business to be revised upwards so that any business with up to 50 employees can be categorised as a small business, carving them out of compliance with workplace laws designed to protect workers’ rights.
The small business lobby wants to take away unfair dismissal rights from workers, scrap union delegates rights, such as right-of-entry provisions and remove the requirement for firms with up to 50 workers from having to bargain with their employees seeking wage increases.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Acting Secretary, Joseph Mitchell:
“Half of all workers would have unfair dismissal rights, rights to fair pay, redundancy pay, protections from wage theft and job security rights taken from them if the business lobby get their way.
“These extreme attacks on workers would strip the right to bargain for a better wage from half of the workforce.
“The last thing any working person needs is less rights at work, less pay and less job security. If made law, these proposals would make cost of living pressures much worse.
“Even the Grinch would baulk at the business lobby’s Christmas wish list. It’s now on Dutton to rule out this shocking call to rip up workers’ rights before Christmas.”
