The AMWU is pushing for safeguards for workers so that they are not disadvantaged by flexibility clauses in employment agreements.

AMWU National President Julius Roe said that flexibility clauses should not be allowed to ride roughshod over Award conditions.

“We don’t want a situation where workers are worse off than what they would be under an AWA. And if you had a flexibility clause that says you can agree to change anything in the award, that would be worse than an AWA.”

Mr Roe said there are some things that employers should not be able to change by individual agreement.

“Working hours and overtime are issues that shouldn’t be up for grabs. It’s easy to imagine a situation where a boss could find a vulnerable worker who will agree to work on Saturday.

“If none of the other workers want to work on Saturday, that flexibility disadvantages them because it undermines the collective view.”

The Minister for Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, has asked the Industrial Relations Commission to prepare a model flexibility clause to be included in federal awards.

She said that the clause should enable employers and employees to reach agreements to meet genuine individual needs but to ensure that workers are not disadvantaged.

The AMWU will submit its concerns with the Industrial Relations Commission and the Government to include protections in the legislation.

“Flexibility can and does lead to abuse of workers by bosses and workers are often not in a powerful enough position to argue against what is being asked of them,” said Mr Roe.

“Flexible work arrangements are more precarious and insecure and undermine health and safety in the workplace.”

Mr Roe said unions all over the world were fighting against the increase in ‘flexible’ work arrangements because of the many problems they created for working people.

The International Metalworkers Federation has declared October 7 2008 as Precarious Employment Day in order to highlight the issues faced by workers bound by insecure work arrangements around the world.