ACT government to force staff into individual contracts
By Stuart Martin
CANBERRA — After failing to force certified agreements on workers employed in the Chief Minister's Department, Canberra Hospital and ACT Housing, the ACT Liberal government has changed tactics. It has abandoned negotiations on certified agreements and is instead trying to get as many staff as possible into Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs or individual contracts).
This tactic is similar to that being followed by the federal government in relation to workers in the Family Court. It will be used by the other Liberal state governments if it is successful in the ACT.
Recent job advertisements for ACT Housing make it clear that new staff from outside the ACT Government Service will be compelled to sign an AWA.
AWAs based on the failed certified agreements are being offered in a blatant attempt to sign up the staff who voted for the failed agreements. In return for paltry pay rises, workers who sign the AWAs lose work conditions and are liable to involuntary redundancy.
Any worker who signs is in effect scabbing against fellow workers and will be among the first to be sacked if the unions win certified agreements that rule out involuntary redundancies.
The unions' response has been an initial meeting of officials from all the unions involved to endorse a Trades and Labour Council-organised campaign against the spread of AWAs. The first stage of this campaign will be an all-union delegates' meeting on February 10.