AMWU National Secretary Dave Oliver is urging the Federal Government to stand firm and deliver the industrial relations policy it took to the election last year.

Mr Oliver joined other union leaders, Senator-elect and former AMWU National Secretary Doug Cameron and departing Senator George Campbell in their concern that the government will bow to pressure from employers in the drafting of the new act.

“It is clear that employers are putting enormous pressure on the Government, but they must deliver their promise to not only scrap WorkChoices, but to replace it with fair laws,” he said.

Of particular concern to the AMWU is the issue of collective bargaining.

“It is crucial that the new laws compel employers to bargain in good faith with their workers and that employees and employers should be free to negotiate on matters that are relevant to their workplace.”

Mr Oliver said it was ironic that Labor was pussyfooting around on this issue in the week when Mechanical Engineering boss, Anthony Elliott was in court facing charges of recklessly driving a truck through a crowd of people protesting over his failure to pay worker entitlements.

Mr Elliott refused to negotiate with his employees for a new collective agreement and then locked them out of the workplace for 37 weeks. They were also denied access to their entitlements after he sacked them.

”This case is a clear example of why we need laws that say when a group of employees democratically decide that they want to collectively bargain, employers must respect that decision.”

Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard said that there would be nothing in the legislation to compel an employer to agree if the parties were deadlocked.

Mr Oliver said this would not be in keeping with the commitments that Labor had taken to the election last year.

“Without those laws workers are left to the mercy of their employers.

“Workers should not have to put up with situations like at Mechanical Engineering Services and Cochlear where workers have voted several times for a union collective agreement and the boss simply refuses.”

“It is essential that the Rudd Government’s new IR laws give workers the right to collectively bargain with employers who must act in good faith.”

A new ACTU advertising campaign is reminding voters that the new Labor government has yet to remove many WorkChoices provisions. The campaign focuses on collective bargaining as the key to delivering better outcomes for workers and the community.