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| Issue No 80 |  |
01 December 2000 |
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EducationTraining for Change
Labor Council's Michael Gadiel outlines a traiing agenda for the 21st century.
The NSW Government is reviewing the Industrial and Commercial Training Act, 1989 - the legislation that regulates NSW Apprenticeships and Traineeships. Whilst most of the Government's proposals are agreeable, the Labor Council is at odds on the issue appeals from the Vocational Training Board. The unions are also calling for a ban on the use of Australian Workplace Agreements in training. The Labor Council's submission supports a range of the Government's proposals to reform the administration of the training system, including the establishment of training agreements, the declaration of Vocational Training Orders and the implementation of individual training plans. The scheme to implement a register of employers banned from taking on trainees or apprentices because of consistent breaches of their training obligations is a welcome reform. Employer's use of Australian Workplace Agreements to drive down conditions such as overtime, allowances and shift arrangements for trainees and apprentices has resulted in Labor Council calling for their prohibition as an employment arrangement for vulnerable groups such as apprentices and trainees. Young people have little or no serious workplace experience and so have no concept of their market value. This makes them highly dependent upon their employer to give them a fair deal. The notion that a young person entering an apprenticeship or traineeship can bargain equally with a prospective employer is laughable. Awards still provide the fairest and most universally accepted terms and conditions for employment. Concerns regarding the spread of AWAs through the training system have increased with the Federal Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs having developed pro-forma AWA's for Trainees that it is distributing to employers via the New-Apprenticeship Centres. The Labor Government should act to stop their spread of these arrangements in NSW by amending the act to prohibit AWA's for Apprentices and Trainees. Unions are concerned about plans to replace the Industrial Relations Commission with the Administrative Decisions Tribunal as the body that hears appeals from the Vocational Training Board (VTB). The VTB hears disputes between Apprentices and Trainees and their employers. Currently the Industrial Relations Commission determines appeals from the VTB. In a dispute, the VTB hears arguments from both sides and attempts to conciliate or broker an agreement that is acceptable to both parties. This emphasis on dispute resolution is more in keeping with the culture of the Industrial Relations Commission. The danger is that the Administrative Decisions Tribunal could reflect its more legalistic culture back into the VTB, fundamentally changing the way it operates. Ultimately this could result in increased expense for both employers and trainees/apprentices having to employ lawyers and ultimately shifting towards a more adversarial culture, making reconciliation of the parties more difficult. The Labor Council's submission canvasses a range of issues in addition to those outlined here. For those that are interested a full copy of the submission may be found at http://lcnsw.labor.net.au/papers/ictactrev.html.
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   Interview: Chewing the Fat with DellaIn a rare extended interview, NSW 's new industrial relations minister State John Della Bosca outlines his vision for the new workplace. Unions: Organising - There Is No ChoiceLHMU national secretary Jeff Lawrence responds to Brisbane Institutue director Peter Botsman's attack on organising. Corporate: The Riddles of Democracy at TelstraShareholder activist Stephen Mayne explains how the big guys ran roughshod when he and trade union activists attempted to stand for the Telstra board. Education: Training for ChangeLabor Council's Michael Gadiel outlines a traiing agenda for the 21st century. History: A Stack of HypocritsBallot rigging, sanctioned by the courts, sponsored by the government were a Liberal Party and Bob Menzies speciality - and they introduced legislation to legalise it. International: African Unions Go To War Against AIDS The war on AIDS is now the number one priority of the ICFTU's African Regional Organization (AFRO), which has launched an ambitious five-year action plan in nine of the most severely afflicted African nations. Satire: Teenage Hackers Behind Shock Cabinet Reshuffle Seasoned front-benchers and political greenhorns alike were joined in stunned surprise today, as a sudden Cabinet reshuffle radically altered the shape of the Federal Government. Review: Manufacturing DissentA new production explores Australian's approach to refugees and their experiences coming to a strange land.
Notice Board View entire latest issue
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