BOSSES EMBARRASSED INTO SILENCE ON WORKCHOICES

14 August 2007

South Australian bosses failed to say a word in support of the controversial federal WorkChoices legislation at the SA Industrial Relations Commission's Inquiry into the laws, which concluded today.

According to SA Unions Secretary, Janet Giles, it is because there is nothing positive for them to say.

Ms Giles says :

"Business SA didn't bother to make a submission to the Inquiry."

"If these laws were so good, you would think the employer unions would be shouting it from the rooftops.  An Inquiry such as this is an opportunity to extol the policy's virtues.  It is clear that bosses have been embarrassed  into silence by this shockingly bad policy."

"Perhaps the real story here is one of money."

"The employers' unions have received a massive $19 million from the federal government for WorkChoices 'training'".

"They have been sucking on the teat of the long suffering taxpayer, the Australian worker who is paying the high price of these unfair and unAustralian laws.  It appears part of that 'training' is a costly ad campaign - which would mean the business lobby is apparently using our taxes to do the federal government's shoddy sales job".

"But as the extensive evidence to this Inquiry shows, WorkChoices is hurting Australian workers, and no amount of profligate advertising will change that".

"Working families are finding it harder to make ends meet.  The gap between rich and poor is getting wider.  Young people are being exploited.  Women are increasingly vulnerable.  People are working harder, being paid less and have no protection from being sacked."

"They are the real facts, not the rose coloured view the federal government and employers are trying to suck people into".

"While business is on the federal government's payroll, it is no wonder the employer unions have declined to make a submission to the Inquiry.  They cannot defend the indefensible, so their only option is to ignore it and hope for the best."

"Meanwhile, SA Unions will be inviting the IRC to undertake a thorough critique of the so-called "research" used by the business lobby in its WorkChoices advertisements.  We would like to see these claims submitted to independent scrutiny because the rhetoric appears to be totally different to reality".