WOMEN DEALT DEVASTATING WORKPLACE BLOW

Queensland women had been dealt a devastating blow by the failure of the states’ High Court challenge to the Howard Government’s workplace relations laws, Minister for Women Margaret Keech told State Parliament today.

Mrs Keech said the failed challenge was another setback for women and further exposed them to workplace exploitation.

“The changes to the industrial relations system introduced by the federal government under WorkChoices are a threat to the rights and privileges Queensland workers have earned through our own industrial system,” she said.

“In introducing this legislation the Australian Government has ignored the concerns and needs of Australian workers, in particular women and other minority groups in the workforce, who are set to lose much of what they have struggled for over the past 100 years.

“The move towards individual contracts and agreements is likely to widen the gap between male and female take-home pay.

“Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows that women covered by collective agreements have an hourly wage rate that is 11% above women on individual agreements.

“Women on Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) earn only 70% of the average earnings of men on AWAs, compared with women covered by awards who earn 84% of men’s average earnings.”

Mrs Keech said women remained largely concentrated in part-time and casual employment, where the workplace laws would have the most detrimental effect.

“Under these laws, many women stand to lose rights related to their employment conditions, as well as losing penalty rates on casual jobs and the right to claim recompense for unfair dismissal,” she said.

“It’s a fact: women are worse off under individual agreements.

“And when faced with a ‘take it or leave it’ scenario, they might be forced to trade pay for carer’s leave or time-off during school holidays, to the detriment of their families.”

Mrs Keech said a hidden cost of the new system which was only just coming to light was women’s increased susceptibility to bullying.

“While Occupational Health and Safety laws in the past have attempted to penalise and reduce bullying, the new laws expose women to bullying by giving more power to employers to decide their own workplace structures,” she said.

“There is now less public scrutiny for unethical behaviour and we’re going to see more women in lower paid and low status jobs being bullied as a result of their reduced bargaining power.

“Now that this legal challenge has failed, there is only one way Queensland women can stand up to these disproportionately unfair laws - and that’s at the ballot box.”

Media contact: David Smith 3225 1005 / 0409 496 534