2 November 2007
Work Choices - is it a boon or a bugbear for rural workers?
For Merimbula News Weekly
The Greens are the only party fully committed to scrapping the Howard Government’s WorkChoices legislation.
There are good reasons for this across all regions and in most occupations, but they are especially strong in rural and regional areas.
We also believe Work Choices will damage regional economies.
Rural and regional workers are often hardest hit as they have fewer jobs available and so often feel forced to accept worse conditions, including casual and part time work.
This increases instability of communities still recovering from years of drought, especially on the far south coast where unemployment remains higher than the national average.
This unfair policy has
lowered wages and led to longer, unsocial and unpredictable hours and split
shifts, especially for young and other vulnerable workers such as those from a
non-English speaking background or with a disability.
Many women with family commitments, especially as carers or sole parents have
already been forced to accept lower wages and conditions. We
know there is a link between long and unpredictable working hours, the breakdown
of family life and the consequential effects on children.
Australian workers need strong minimum conditions including overtime pay,
penalty rates, public holiday pay, rest breaks and redundancy entitlements and a
legal right to take industrial action.
Under the Fair Pay
Commission there has been a decline in real wages and
employees on collective agreements earn on
average over $100 -a-week more than those on AWAs.
No amount of tax payer funded rebranding and spin will solve this; it just adds
to the confusion.
Voters who want an end to
WorkChoices should give their first preference to The Greens at this election.
Labor cannot gain a majority in the Senate after this election and a Labor win
in the House of Representatives is not enough. The only way to overturn
WorkChoices is a strong presence of The Greens in the Senate.