This week marks an historic turning point to restoring workers’ rights after a decade of attacks by the former Coalition Government.

The industrial relations legislation is the result of a concerted campaign by unions and the community to scrap WorkChoices, laws which undermined the wages and conditions of Australian workers.

The new laws will ensure

• Strong rights for workers to collectively bargain and be represented by their union.

• An industrial umpire with powers to settle intractable disputes.

• A new role for the courts to enforce awards and the National Employment Standards, providing a strong deterrent against infringement of workers’ rights and entitlements.

• A ban on further use of Australian Workplace Agreements, and a requirement that existing AWAs must comply with new national standards.

• Unfair dismissal rights for all workers.

• A fair and transparent process for setting minimum wages.

Under the new laws, recalcitrant employers such as Dorevitch can have good faith bargaining orders made against them.

More information is available at www.actu.asn.au