Many members have contacted us to express their concern that the VHIA has, through its successful application to terminate our bargaining periods, taken away the only weapon we have against the Victorian government’s intransigence and refusal to negotiate. The government now does not have to deal with the negative publicity of our members striking and being visible on the steps of Parliament House and in the streets.

The termination of the bargaining periods is a legacy of the previous federal government’s industrial relations laws, which were designed to take away the rights of working people to withdraw their labour when in dispute with their employer.

As discussed in Stat Report 467, the termination of the bargaining period leads to a 21 day negotiating period. If the matters in dispute are not settled within that period, they will be heard and determined by a Full Bench. The Full Bench is required to make a decision on the merits of the case, and the Victorian government’s wages policy will be therefore be under challenge.