Unions and the opposition have hit out at the state government for sitting on a controversial report for 14 months and then planning to sneak in what they say are Work Choices-style laws into the state.
Unions and the opposition have hit out at the state government for sitting on a controversial report for 14 months and then planning to sneak in what they say are Work Choices-style laws into the state.
The Barnett government hired former coalition government adviser Steven Amendola to conduct an independent review into the state's industrial relations system.
He presented the report to the government on October 30, 2009 with 193 recommendations.
The state government issued a two-page response to the report late on Monday but says it is still considering which of the 193 recommendations to adopt.
But Unions WA secretary Simone McGurk told reporters Mr Amendola was not an independent reviewer because he was an advocate for Work Choices and made similar recommendations in his report.
"The report that's been delivered confirms those concerns that we had (from the start)," she said.
Opposition leader Eric Ripper agreed.
"We are seeing the Liberal Party push an extreme, Workchoices-style industrial relations agenda that neither workers nor the majority of business wants," Mr Ripper said.
"There is real concern that working and living conditions for ordinary Western Australians will be eroded.
"I am very concerned about the report recommendations which threaten overtime, leave loading, allowances and working hours.
"There is also a real threat about limiting workers' access to the independent umpire - the Industrial Relations Commission," said Mr Ripper.
Ms McGurk said it was likely that 60 per cent of the recommendations would be implemented, forcing 300,000 workers to sign individual contracts.
She said the award system would also be dropped and the unfair dismissal laws would be abolished for small business workers employed for less than 12 months.
"I think people are right to be quite suspicious about the way the government's decided to release the report," she said.
"They haven't ruled out a number of items contained in the report and also they've waited `til parliament has risen so there's no scrutiny from the parliament."
Ms McGurk said in the lead-up to Christmas it would be difficult to get serious policy debate on the issues but said the unions of WA would work together to fight for the workers.
Mr Ripper said the Amendola report shows that WorkChoices is far from dead and buried in Western Australia.
"This is the start of the fourth wave of industrial relations attack in Western Australia," he said.
The Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union has warned all the worst aspects of WorkChoices will be back if the Amendola report is implemented.
Carolyn Smith, assistant secretary of the LHMU said: "Many of the people affected by these changes work in low paid industries covered by the LHMU. They will be dismayed to hear that the rights they fought so hard for could be stripped away by Colin Barnett, who is as anti-worker as they get.
"These are workers who have enough trouble as it is fighting for decent pay and conditions from a government which massively under-values the important work they do in our hospitals and schools, and which keeps on attacking their wage packets with power bill hikes.
"Our members will fight the Barnett government all the way on any plans which diminish their rights at work and which could see them forced into sub-standard individual contracts," she said.
"If this government is as forward-thinking as it says it is, it would realise that WorkChoices should remain 'dead and buried' forever, and not just during a federal election campaign."
