The Howard Government's proposed changes to workplace relations are causing significant concern and confusion amongst workers.

The proposed changes will impact upon all workers within Australia, including public sector workers in South Australia.

In order to clarify some of the confusion the following matters are brought to members' attention.

The Federal Government has not yet introduced legislation to give effect to the proposed changes, but the Prime Minister is quite misleading to suggest that unions do not know what is intended. The Prime Minister made a Ministerial Statement to the House of Representatives on the 26th May 2005 which spelled out the Government's proposals.

Underpinning the Government changes is a proposal for a single set of national laws on workplace relations, with the removal of State Industrial Jurisdictions.

The Prime Minister in his Ministerial Statement said "the Government will introduce legislative minimum conditions to protect the rights of Australian workers. These conditions will be for annual leave, personal leave, parental leave and a maximum number of ordinary working hours." All other matters will be able to be set by employers in individual contracts.

The impact of the Federal Government changes will result in South Australian workers, including PSA members, losing the current protections provided by State Awards, as a natural consequence of the abolition of the State Industrial Jurisdictions. Awards currently define many conditions such as penalty payments and leave.

The Federal Government has identified Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA's) as the normal future means for governing employment contracts. These AWA's will not need to provide any of the benefits currently contained in Awards, and Awards will no longer provide a safety net as they will be over-ridden by AWA's.

The South Australian Government has already identified long service leave as one condition under threat. In addition, penalty rates provided for under State Awards are also at risk.

PSA Chief Industrial Officer, Peter Christopher Ph: 8205 3200 or email: pgc@cpsu.asn.au