Australian government aiming to undermine workers' rights.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard late last month announced unprecedented changes to Australia's industrial relations laws, aimed at undermining the award system, putting workers on individual contracts and abolishing unfair dismissal protection for nearly four million workers. Under the proposed changes, the power of the Industrial Relations Commission, the body that sets minimum wages and arbitrates awards and disputes, will be gutted.

When Howard takes control of the Senate on July 1, his Government will have the power to pass whatever laws it wants. Unless union and community campaigning pressure Howard into pulling back on his Employment Contracts Act agenda, it will inevitably lead to lower pay and conditions and greater "flexibility" in the labour market.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions' (ACTU) is coordinating a union and community campaign to oppose the changes, under the banner Your fights at work--worth fighting for. ACTU surveys show the vast majority of Australians oppose Howard's proposed changes.

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) is warning the changes would affect pay and conditions and lead to nursing shortages. Pay and conditions for most nurses in Australia have traditionally been set through a combination of awards and collective bargaining agreements, negotiated between the ANF state branches and employers. If negotiations broke down, the parties could take their case to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

While nurses in Australia are better placed to withstand the attack on workers' rights than many other Australian workers, because they are more highly unionised and operate in a tight labour market, the changes mean basic conditions such as skills-based career paths, currently enshrined in awards, would be threatened. Other award entitlements which would be at risk are regulation of hours of work, length of shifts, penal rates, long service leave and public holidays. "With the shortage of nurses and midwives, we need to look at protecting those already in the profession, and encouraging people to enter, but it will be very difficult if wages and conditions are going to be adversely affected," community health midwife and vice-president of the ANF South Australia branch, Jo Duffy, said. A registered nurse from Launceston General Hospital in Tasmania, Angela Manion, was one of six delegates from around Australia who came to Melbourne last month to launch union delegate opposition to the changes. "I am very very concerned about the impact on nurses and the community if we lose our ability to collectively bargain," she said. She predicts a health system in crisis if collective bargaining is undermined. "When ANF members recognise the threat, they will be very angry. Things like career structure are in the award. If they are removed and stress levels go up, nurses will leave".

Australian union members are opposing the changes in a national Week Of Action from June 26 and July 3. The Your rights at work Campaign is uniting unions and community groups to let Howard know he has gone too far and to put pressure on politicians to reflect the views of the majority of Australians and maintain rights at work for Australian workers.

Report by NZNO communications adviser Lyndy McIntyre, who is on a three- month secondment to assist with the ACTU campaign.