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Australian Fair Pay Commission Free Term Paper

Australia had improved their labor for these past years. Because of this, they are now considered as one of the biggest in the economic world (Stretton, 2005). They have created over1.7 million new jobs. The number unemployed Australian had decreased. The government believes that it is about time to secure the future of every Australian and their families. The main objective of the Work Choices is to secure the success of Australian individual and families. Work Choices can achieve its goal through getting the bigger demand for options and suppleness in the workplaces. It will be a continuing process of reform and development, to a system that give trust to Australians in making their own choices in the workplace that they think well suits them. This economic change will develop that move forward wealth and equality (Sue, 2006). They rest on the easy proposal that the best assurance of excellent jobs, high wages and a upright society is well-built and prolific economy. There will be no protection in industrial regulation that can secure jobs and support wages if an economy is weak and unproductive.        2) What are the major changes?   Single national system   Australians live in an incorporated national economy and it makes no sense at all (Sue, 2006b). By utilizing a grouping of legal heads of power, Work Choices will include to 85 per cent of employees across Australia. While employers and employees are both included in Work Choices will not be subjected to parameter by state employment laws, state laws will persist to cover such issues as occupational health and safety, workers compensation, trading hours and public holidays.   Transitional arrangements     These are considerable changes and so to give an arranged alteration over there will be complete transitional arrangements. Present state conformities pertaining to employers the forthcoming new system from the state systems will affect as transitional agreements (The Australian Financial Review, 2006). State awards valid to employers the new system will defend as transitional agreements for three years. Employers at this time in the central system, who, for legitimate causes, cannot be enveloped by Work Choices in the longer term, will have a transitional phase of five years during which present conformities and awards can continue to be active. Not like other states, Victoria has transferred authorities with revere to workplace relations to the Commonwealth. Because of this, employees in Victoria are responsible to the terms of the recommendation and will keep on to be covered under Work Choices (The Australian Financial Review, 2006). Other less important intermediary arrangements will be created in regulation along with essential substantial changes to Commonwealth legislation.     Australian Fair Pay Commission     Work Choices differs from the traditional adversarial and legalistic nature of the present wages setting process. It will create a new independent wage setting council, named as, Australian Fair Pay Commission (The Australian Council of Trade Unions, 2006). This commission will be responsible with promoting the economic affluence of the people of Australia (ZdNet Australia, 2006). The commission will also put and regulate minimum and award categorization wages, such as minimum wages for juniors, trainees, apprentices and employees with disabilities, minimum wages for piece workers, as well as casual loadings (Sue, 2006b). Minimum and award categorization wages will be secured at the level set after the raise from the 2005 Safety Net Review by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC). Minimum and award categorization wages will not fall below this level. The Fair Pay Commission will take a broad range, practical and counseling method to this issue which will assist all those concerned to have a say.     The changes include: (www.wikipedia.com)   •the formation of a single national industrial system to replace the separate state and federal systems for constitutional corporations; •the establishment of a body to be known as the Australian Fair Pay Commission to replace National Wage Cases at the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC); •the streamlining of Certified Agreement and Australian Workplace Agreement making, including increasing the maximum agreement life from three years to five years; •a reduction in allowable award matters; •the creation of legislation for five minimum workplace conditions; •the exemption of companies with fewer than 101 employees from unfair dismissal laws; •the exemption of all companies from unfair dismissal laws where a dismissal is for a bona fide operational reason; •increased restrictions on allowable industrial action; •mandating secret ballots for industrial action; •discouraging pattern bargaining and industry-wide industrial action. On October 9, 2005 the Howard Government launched its “WorkChoices” guide and announced that some further changes and concessions had been made to the package, the concessions widely credited as being the result of union lobbying. The Opposition Australian Labor Party described it as “sugar-coating a poison pill”; the Australian Council of Trade Unions described it as merely a “re-presentation” of the old package       3)What are the views of unions and employers associations about these changes?     As an answer to the Howard Government’s Work Choices package, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the summit alliance for Australian trade unions, started its “Your Rights at Work” movement contrasting the changes (Sue, 2005). The movement engages mass rallies and marches, television and radio advertisements, judicial action, e-activism, and, potentially, industrial action.   The week of action concluded on Friday 1 July 2005 with a “SkyChannel” assembly of union representatives and members organised by Unions NSW (Australian Council of Trade Unions, 2005). The highlight of the meeting was broadcast from Sydney with links to more than 200 locations around New South Wales. According to official bodies from Unions NSW, over 103,500 be present at the meetings, with the major attendances being at Sydney Town Hall (20,000), the Wollongong Entertainment Centre (6500), the Rooty Hill RSL (5000), Newcastle Panthers Club (4000). The meeting was pursued by a huge rally in Sydney and occasions in regional areas (UnionsWA, 2006). According to the Australian trade organizations, there is only 23 percent of the workforce, 17 percent only from the private companies that will be benefited by the Work Choices. They do not have any idea why the Australian government still pursuing this policy that will just severely limit and immobilize the trade union movement. This is a strong evidence of the government’s hostility to the labor movement for the past 30 years. Work Choices will just give political and ideological leadership and will conflict the economic rationale of the said policy, which is its real political agenda (Australian Council of Trade Unions, 2005). This will just limit the capabilities of the labor movement to bargain and penetrate the workplaces to hire new members in the industrial actions.    4) What can we conclude about whose interests are being served in the new IR system?   The major aspect of improving success and equality in the Australian workforce is through increasing productivity (ZdNet, 2006). The economic strength and the standard living of the Australians rely to the productivity in their workplaces. Every Australian and their families will benefit from having more job opportunities and higher standard of living. The Australian society will have more resources to dedicate to services like health and education, as well as to a well-built social safety net.  A fundamental objective of this Bill is to persuade the additional extend of workplace conformities in order to boost productivity and consequently the standard of living of the Australian workers. The flexibility in the workplace will result to the highest productivity growth and the highest wages.   The responsibility of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will alter to keep rate with the requirements of the current economy. The focal point of AIRC will be on conflict resolution. Moreover, the AIRC will have a position to advance abridge and rationalize awards, as well as amendable industrial action, right of entry, unfair dismissal and registered organizations.   The AIRC will keep track of its controls to determine conflicts arising under agreements but only where those functions are specifically conferred on it by the parties. Under the new system the AIRC will no longer exercise compulsory powers of conciliation and arbitration, but instead will provide voluntary dispute resolution services with limited exceptions such as terminating a bargaining period where industrial action is threatening life or causing damage to the economy or under new essential services provisions. It will also retain its role in providing an initial conciliation service for termination claims. Employment: annual leave, personal leave (including sick leave and carer’s leave), parental leave (including maternity leave) and maximum ordinary hours of work. These conditions, together with the minimum and award classification wages set by the Fair Pay Commission, will make up the Fair Pay and Conditions Standard. All new agreements will be required to meet the Fair Pay and Conditions Standard throughout the life of the agreement.   Since the Australian Economy is currently moving towards to a modern economy, Work Choices will just result to a system that will provide employers and employees a concrete chance in what happens at their workplaces. The Australian workforce will depend on a strong economy with productive workplaces.    References Stretton, Hugh 2005, Economics, a New Introduction, Routledge, New York. Bolton, Sue 2006a Fighting Work Choices: Now What? Viewed 10 May 2006 from, www.greenleft.org.au. Bolton, Sue 2005, Where to Now for the IR Campaign? Viewed 10 May 2006 from, www.greenleft.org.au. Australian Council of Trade Unions 2006, Choices  for Working Families, Viewed 10 May 2006 from www.actu.asn.au. Australian Council of Trade Unions 2005, Your Rights Your Watch, Viewed 10 May 2006 from www.actu.asn.au.   The Australian Financial Review 2006, Organized Labour at Risk Viewed 10 May 2006 from htttp://aap.newscentre.com.au/actu/060320/library/major_news_-actu_mentions   Bolton, Sue, 2006b WORKPLACE RELATIONS AMENDMENT (WORK CHOICES) BILL 2005 Viewed 10 May 2006, from www.workplace.gov.au.   ZdnET Australia, 2006 Workchoices Industrial Laws, Viewed 10 May 2006, from www.ZdNet .au.   Wikipedia.com Work Choices, viewed 10 May 2006 from www.wikipedia.com.   UnionsWA 2006, ACTU “Names and Shames” Employers in anti- Work Choices, viewed 10 May 2006 from www.unionswa.com.au.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Australian Fair Pay Commission Free Term Paper

Australia had improved their labor for these past years. Because of this, they are now considered as one of the biggest in the economic w...