The federal government's proposed changes to industrial relations laws could cause long-term financial harm to the state's businesses, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA explained to a Senate inquiry today.
CCIWA today highlighted how aspects of the proposed changes will hand unions greater control of Australian workplaces, interfere with day to day business operations, and undermine productivity.
Two of CCI's member companies also appeared before the inquiry, providing examples of how the proposed changes will affect their operations.
Also of concern is that the government is seeking to introduce a number of changes harmful to business that were not part of its original policy documents.
CCI's submission to the inquiry identifies a number of key areas of concern with the Bill, which if not addressed, could undermine business investment, economic growth, and job creation. They are:
- employers will be forced into collective bargaining whether they want to or not;
- unions will be handed greater influence over agreement making and workplace issues without added protections for employers;
- Proposed right of entry provisions will deliver unions a greater foothold in all Australian workplaces;
- changes to certain agreement making provisions have the potential to delay projects and increase costs; and
- the likelihood of disruptive and costly industrial action will increase with the range of workplace issues open to negotiation extended;
The need for a modern and flexible industrial relations system, that strikes a fair balance between the interests of employers and their workers, has never been greater as the global community turns to business and industry to drive economic growth, create more jobs and help insulate the local economy from the global financial crisis.
