Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has voiced his confusion after business and business teams vowed to struggle reforms the federal government says it has no intention of pursuing.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Minerals Council of Australia, the Business Council and numerous different peak business, farming and business teams on Monday launched a multimillion greenback marketing campaign concentrating on the federal government’s “same job, same pay”.
Their marketing campaign, “A Better Way, for Better Pay” warns Australians of the risks of Labor’s second tranche of business relations reforms, which the teams say will take away employee incentive and cut back productiveness.
While the laws not even been drafted but, business have voiced their concern within the wake of preliminary session – however Mr Burke has described it as one of many “strangest debates” he’s ever discovered himself in.
“Business was running a passionate campaign against a policy that the government isn’t proposing – and to me, it would sound like a bad idea anyway,” he advised ABC Radio.
“The way business were arguing yesterday … that this would somehow prevent hairdressers from being able to pay different rates of pay for the people in their employment is just not true.”
Mr Burke mentioned the “same job, same pay” reforms the federal government is proposing would shut a loophole that undercuts labour rent employees, who’re presently weak to exploitation and underpayment.
The authorities desires to make sure that labour rent employees are paid the identical as their employed equivalents.
“This is about setting a floor, a floor that is set at the exact rate the employer has said was their fair rate of pay,” Mr Burke mentioned.
On Monday, the group mentioned the reforms would result in “lower wage growth and fewer jobs”.
“The so-called ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ proposals … mean by law, employers will have to pay workers with little knowledge or experience exactly the same as workers with decades of knowledge and experience,” the group mentioned in an announcement.
“It means by law, you cannot earn better pay by working harder or longer, if your colleague does not share your ambition or work ethic.”
Mr Burke mentioned the federal government’s reforms with involved solely with closing the “labour hire loophole”.
His opposition counterpart, Michaelia Cash, accused Mr Burke of “insulting” the business group.
Senator Cash mentioned if the federal government was simply involved with closing a loophole, the federal government wanted to slender down its definition presently earlier than business.
“Mr Burke clearly has not read his own consultation paper,” Senator Cash mentioned in response to Mr Burke’s earlier interview.
“The policy that the government are putting forward – which is all business can go on at this stage – goes a smooch further than labour hire and covers service contractors. So any business using service contractors will be captured.
“If this is about closing the loophole, it should be very, very narrowly defined.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
