Labor's plan for workers - Workers will win under Labor
18 October 2001
Labor Shadow Industrial Relations and Employment Minister Wayne Berry says a win for Labor in Saturday’s ACT Legislative Assembly election will be a major win for ACT workers.
Mr Berry’s announcement was made at the Civic rally of construction workers protesting at attempts by employers to strip back their awards to remove longstanding conditions of employment.
"This pattern has been a hallmark of the Howard and Humphries Liberal Governments. Worker’s conditions are attacked and job security threatened.
"Labor will deliver new benefits to ACT workers.
"A new employer funded long service leave scheme to cover all workers in the private sector along the lines of the existing construction industry long service leave scheme and the cleaning industry scheme I introduced in this term of the Assembly;
"This scheme will widen access to long service leave in the private sector and protect workers’ benefits from business collapses.
"Labor will also continue its commitment to improving workplace safety and workers’ compensation benefits. Labor will continue to support common law rights for workers’ compensation claims.
"Labor has also committed to a government review of paid and unpaid overtime in both the public and private sectors. We now see workers spending longer hours at work. Labor will explore the hidden costs of excessive hours worked by employees.
"In the public sector Labor will :-
- Not offer Australian Workplace Agreements;
- Oppose privatisation of government assets;
- Review outsourced services with the ambition of returning these to government provision.
"Over the last six years workers in the ACT have suffered under Liberal Governments as jobs have been shed in the public sector, job security lost and employees entitlements lost as private sector companies collapse.
"It is time for a change of government - and that will also be a win for the workers of the ACT," Mr Berry concluded.