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News in brief, November 6, 2005

CFMEU beats coercion charge, taskforce caught covertly recording again; Judge says it should be a criminal offence to burn workers’ entitlements; BCA airs new advertisement backing second wave; Work Choices inquiry submissions due on Wednesday; and New guide to work choices.

Full-time-to-part-time guarantees knocked out

Award provisions allowing women returning from maternity leave to transfer from full-time to part-time work look like being knocked out under the new Work Choices legislation, according to the ACTU.

ILO hears ACTU complaint against Cole legislation

The International Labour Organisation is today hearing an ACTU complaint that the Federal Government's Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act breaches Australia's international legal obligations.

CPSU finds new restrictions on bargaining, right of entry

The CPSU has uncovered two areas in which the Federal Governments second-wave bill undermines existing bargaining and organising rights even further than flagged in the WorkChoices booklet. The first deals with the 90-day rule for terminating agreements, and the second with right of entry at workplaces covered by non-union collective deals.

AFPC will lack independence, wages will go down: Academic

The new Australian Fair Pay Commission will lack the AIRC's independence, while the removal of the requirement for an "effective" safety net will drive down labour costs at the bottom end of the market and create more "working poor" in Australia, according to Melbourne University's Dr John Howe.

Howard throws grenade into unhappy union mergers

In a provision that could cause ructions in some major unions, the Work Choices legislation provides for the de-merger of unions that amalgamated before 1997.

Combet calls for renewed focus on Australian manufacturing

ACTU secretary Greg Combet has this evening called for a new emphasis on boosting Australian manufacturing as an alternative economic priority to the Federal Government's second wave IR changes.