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Shafted: Howard Squibs on Entitlements

Workers have forced the Howard Government to make some token gestures toward protecting workers entitlements, but will continue to shame Canberra until meaningful reform occurs.

	Workers Rally for protection of Entitlements Outside Meeting of Corporation Ministers

More than 500 workers rallied in Sydney this week to back a plan by NSW Attorney General Jeff Shaw to secure workers entitlements through changes to corporations law.

Shaw, backed by the Queensland and Tasmanian governments, took his plan to the state and federal ministers responsible for corporations law.

While federal minister Joe Hockey (incidentally the student leader who led the campaign against HECS in the mid-eighties) released a statement trumpeting changes to the law, the proposals still fall way short of genuine protection.

Hockey said the government would introduce measures to:

- introduce a new offence to stop directors from entering into arrangements or transactions that avoided payments of employee entitlements.

- strengthen the existing prohibitions against insolvent trading to prevent directors shifting assets to strip a company of assets before entitlements are paid.

Hockey said the government would also consider allowing the court, "in certain circumstances" to make a company within a group pay outstanding employee entitlements.

While hailing the measures as "a major step towards protecting worker entitlements", the real solution - pay as they accrue entitlements trust funds are still not on the agenda.

Oakdale Campaign to Continue

Labor Council secretary Michael Costa says workers will continue to shame the Howard government with events like the successful rally and public awareness campaign.

Thousands of fliers were distributed at railway stations before the rally, attended by more than a dozen different unions/

Oakdale miners, thrown out of work owed more than $6 million, arrived in their shame truck, which is touring the state with the message that Australia is the only country in the OECD which doesn't protect workers entitlements.

With the backing of a brass band. the rally was told how the issue was affecting thousands of workers across all industries - including performers, truck drivers and rural workers.

Costa says it's time for public policy makers to choose whether entitlements earned by workers should be guaranteed or not.

"Slipping and sliding about the need to encourage business investment misses the fundamental point that we are talking about money that is legally the workers," he says

"To justify the current state of injustice by stating that employers should have access to their employees entitlements to help them run their business shows just how far the pendulum has swung against workers."

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 23 contents

»	Water Staff Pull Plug on Pay Talks
»	Hotel Survey Warns of New Years Labour Crisis
»	Pfizer Jerks Workers Off
»	Shafted: Howard Squibs on Entitlements
»	Olympics Jobs Shortage Looms
»	Nurses Change Tack on Public Health Campaign
»	Actors Save Conditions from Reith Attack
»	Global Mariner Shines Spotlight on Howard Shipping Policy
»	New Currawong Deal Ends 25 Years of Trying
»	Hands off Workers Comp
»	Scully Off the Rails Over Contract Security
»	PiersWatch and The Chaser in Mega Merger Deal
»	Apology to Dr Bridget Griffen-Foley

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Upcoming Chippo Politics Events
»	Bright Oakdale Idea
»	Calling All Linesmen
»	Dissent Within the Ranks!!
»	Reply to Don Macchiato

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