OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has flagged changes to the Federal Government's workplace laws if he were elected prime minister, but has stopped short of saying what he would change.
"We will change the act. They will be careful, cautious, responsible changes, and we will announce them in good time before the next election," Mr Abbott told Channel Ten.
Last week, the Westpac bank, Holden and Mortein-maker Reckitt Benckiser announced major job cuts.
The Government said business was under pressure because of the high Australian dollar, while Mr Abbott cited concern over the Fair Work Act and the carbon and mining taxes.
"I certainly think there is a flexibility problem," he said of the Fair Work Act.
"There is a militancy problem, and above all else a productivity problem with the Fair Work Act."
Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten said some thought current workplace laws needed major changes, while others disagreed.
He said Labor redressed the imbalance from the coalition government's WorkChoices policy, taking it to the middle of the road.
That legislation is now under review by a panel of three experts.
Mr Shorten said the coalition's industrial relations problem was that it didn't have a workplace policy.
"It's in a witness protection program," he told Channel Ten.
He said the facts contradicted Mr Abbott's appraisal, as productivity had fallen under the former coalition government.
"Just because the Libs say 'trust us, we're Liberal, productivity will go up" isn't supported by facts," he said.
"When conservatives use the term flexibility, what they actually mean is that if you're poor ... you should take a pay cut.
"Why is it in Australia, coalition DNA says that the only way that the rich can get richer is by low-paid workers getting penalty rate cuts?"
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/tony-abbott-flags-workplace-changes/story-e6frfku9-1226262961663#ixzz1lYxNlirm
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When Conservatives Use The Term Flexiibility. (Read 270 times)
