Qantas, which has less than 1% of its workforce employed under AWAs, has called on the ALP to retain the individual contracts, saying it needs their flexiblity to compete internationally and to maintain its cost competitiveness.
Employees' basic hourly pay rate rose 4.3% in the 12 months to May 2007, with employees on collective deals the most likely to report a pay rise but those on individual contracts receiving higher increases, according to the latest Melbourne Institute's Wages Report.
An attempt by Airservices Australia to move about 100 air traffic control supervisors onto AWAs has been blocked by an AIRC finding that its agreement with the union requires recruitment and promotion to be determined by merit.
Work Choices AWAs could run their full five-year terms under an ALP Government if employees wanted them to, Deputy Labor Leader Julia Gillard confirmed today, while Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey has not ruled our further "minor changes" to the Coalition's IR laws.
The Federal Government is deleting more references to Work Choices from its public information services, changing the name of its telephone advice line from the "WorkChoices Infoline" to the "Workplace Infoline."
A former CPSU section secretary and national council member has launched a petition in the first stage of a campaign to halt the union's plan to affiliate with the ALP, which he says will cost the union $200,000 a year if it proceeds.
The West Australian Government is supporting a record increase of $27.60 in the State's minimum wage in response to higher wage and inflation growth from WA's resources-led boom.
Wages excluding bonuses have grown at a strong 4.1% seasonally adjusted in the first 12 months of Work Choices, just below the peak of 4.2% reached in 2005, while pay in mining is increasing at more than double the rate in retail and hospitality, according to the ABS.
AWU national vice president Paul Howes looks set to take over the leadership of the union when secretary Bill Shorten goes into Parliament later this year, after his sole challenger withdrew from the race.
Construction industry employers and employer groups are unanimous in wanting the ALP to deliver an IR regime for their sector that is as tough on unions, if not on individual employees, as the one that already exists. But they have divergent views on whether it can, and on whether building costs will rise if Labor does takes office federally.
