Critical Times

“The Rudd government is making much of the announcement that there will be no new AWAs after midnight tonight – but I’d challenge any worker who has an ITEA stuck in front of them tomorrow to spot the difference,” said Senator Rachel Siewert today.

“This is nothing like the end of AWAs that Australians voted for last November.”

“Working people already on AWAs who voted to tear up Work Choices will be disappointed to learn that their AWAs could continue beyond the next election.”

“Under the new so-called ‘Forward with Fairness’ arrangements, existing AWAs can continue up to and even beyond their five year expiry dates, and workers can still be offered a new type of individual workplace agreements called an ITEA (individual transitional employment agreement),” she said.

“An ITEA is little more that a slightly improved AWA-plus.”

While the new ITEA individual workplace agreements have to pass the new No Disadvantage Test, the same does not apply for workers who have signed AWAs in the few months since the election.

“At the same time we’ve had a new government elected on the back of a promise to get rid of AWAs, employers have been able to rush through new AWAs that can fail the No Disadvantage Test and still bind workers for another five years,” said Senator Siewert.

“This is not something that working families will want to celebrate,” she concluded.