IR laws introduction

Tuesday, 4 April, 2006 - 22:00
THE state government has continued with plans to challenge the Federal Government’s new industrial relations regime, taking its fight to the High Court. Legal experts agree the challenge over the Work Choices package was likely to fail because the federal industrial changes appear to be constitutional. State Employment Minister John Bowler said it was a duty of the state government to oppose the laws and other states were joining in. The litmus test for the new industrial laws may take place on a Port Hedland building site, with construction giant John Holland directly offering its own employment contracts to 180 individual workers, without union negotiation.