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Desperate IR Minister cranks up the propaganda & jettisons the facts

In a sign of his increasing desperation to keep his portfolio, the Minister for Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews has jettisoned the facts and cranked up the propaganda war over the Howard Government's controversial IR laws says the ACTU.

Commenting on statements by Minister Andrews, ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said today:

"The Minister is again misrepresenting the facts.

Eighty workers at the GTS call centre in Melbourne that is owned by German airline Lufthansa are being asked to sign AWA individual contracts that cut their take home pay.

It is completely deceitful for the Minister to assert that the workers do not want the union to represent them.

In fact, the Australian Services Union has members there but the company refuses to deal with the union and the employees are scared of losing their job if they speak out.

It is a workplace with less than 100 employees and therefore there is no protection against unfair dismissal. People are scared of being sacked. They are being asked to sign AWA individual contracts that cut their pay and conditions. There is no negotiation.

In fact, the Victorian Government Workplace Rights Advocate has found that the contracts at the Melbourne call centre:

• Cut the base pay of the workers and cut their penalty rates
• Have no annual wage increase for the life of the agreement
• Have a flawed and potentially discriminatory bonus scheme that is completely at the discretion of the company
• Disadvantage employees that do not sign.

Minister sides with employers - again

At a press conference this morning, Minister Kevin Andrews said he was in possession of "independent legal advice" which the ACTU understands is simply the advice given to the GTS by its lawyers.

This is another example of the Howard Government simply taking the side of employers.

The recent OWS investigation into some of the people presented in the ACTU television advertisements which was leaked to the media so that a political attack could be mounted was also flawed and one-sided.

The OWS Summary of Findings relied heavily on the subjective assertions of former employers and media reports to arrive at a one-sided conclusion. In some cases the employees were not even consulted by the OWS.

The Minister should stop trying to deceive the public and acknowledge that the Government's new IR laws have been specifically designed to make it easier for employers to cut the take home pay of workers and to sack staff unfairly, " said Mr Combet.

Chronology

GTS - ASU BRIEFING PAPER - 10 August 2006

CHRONOLOGY

24 April - staff briefed on AWA and given copy of Q&A Mid June - delegation of staff came to talk with ASU office regarding concerns

28 JUNE - 4 JULY - Between these dates Ingrid Stitt Secretary of ASU was contacted by Jessica Kendall from the OWS to discuss the concerns. Ms Stitt undertook to forward the concerns of the AWA with supporting documents so that the OWS could investigate the GTS AWA.

There has been no further contact with the ASU by the OWS since this date.

21 June - follow up meeting with GTS staff at ASU office late June - received legal advice from Slater and Gordon the ASU lawyers re AWA 30 June - on behalf of the workers ASU wrote to Tony Lawrence at the Workplace Rights Advocate asking him to investigate the AWA

8 August - the WRA released the report on the findings

8 August - the ASU wrote to GTS calling on them to withdraw the AWA in light of the damning report

9 August - Kevin Andrews made incorrect claims about the bonus scheme offered by GTS in question time. The bonus scheme is flawed and potentially in breach of Equal Opportunity Act.

9 August - Joe Hockey announced as Minister Assisting the Minister for Workplace Relations in light of the continual misinformation being spread by Kevin Andrews

10 August - Kevin Andrews gives a press conference using so-called independent legal advice to support his claims that the AWA to GTS workers is fair. What the Minister failed to mention is that Blake Dawson Waldron lawyers are acting on behalf of GTS.

For more information

• Ingrid Stitt 0418 357 440
• Ian Wilson 0408 513 849