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Unions bicker over IR changes

Samantha Hawley in Canberra for AM

Story Added : 06th February 2010

A dispute has erupted within the union movement, with one union boss accusing his colleagues of failing to stand up for workers since the introduction of new industrial relations laws last month.

The Federal Government says the new industrial relations laws are fair and balanced.

But Dean Mighell from the Electrical Trades Union believes thousands of workers, mainly in New South Wales and Queensland, have lost things like casual loading and penalty rates under the Fair Work system, which began about a month ago.

He has hit out at his own union, saying the movement is letting the workers down because there is a Labor Government in power.

"Workers are losing. This is a real worry for me. I don't get how a Labor Government does that," he said.

"I'm not happy with the Government being beaten over the wrist with a wet tram ticket, which is about what we've done.

"Labour wins government, the union movement takes a big sleeping tablet and we forget how to campaign and we forget how to fight.

"That annoys me because we as unions exist to look after working people, not look after the Labor Party."

'Unions failing'

Mr Mighell was ousted from the Labor Party prior to the last election and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he would not believe a word that comes out of Mr Mighell's mouth.

But Mr Mighell says he just wants to protect workers' rights.

"I have given Labor a clip over the ear when I've thought they haven't acted in the interests of my members and I will always do that," he said.

"It mystifies me as to why we aren't out in the streets fighting for our rights again."

The Opposition's Industrial Relations spokesman, Eric Abetz, has also accused the the peak union body, the ACTU, of failing to stand up for its members.

"They are not speaking out on behalf of their workers as they should and I know some unions that have wanted to speak out have been told by the ACTU to basically shut up because they've bank rolled this Government into government," he said.

"And it's their Government and they need to protect it. But in protecting the Labor Government, they're doing so at the expense of individual workers."

However the secretary of the ACTU, Jeff Lawrence, has denied the accusations.

"Let [Mr Mighell] provide evidence of such a directive. That's absolutely false," Mr Lawrence said.

"Our union officials and union members are always defending their members' interests."

The head of the Australian Workers Union, Paul Howse, also says Mr Mighell's comments are wrong.

"I won't lecture Dean on how to do his job, but my members are being looked after; I am advocating for their interests," he said.

"Certainly if you ask me, are my members better off today than they were three years ago under John Howard's WorkChoices legislation, without a doubt.

"And if you can find a union official who would say that workers in this country are worse off today than they were under WorkChoices, then they are lying."

Story Added by ABC.
Date Added : 06th February 2010

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