Major employers have put on a united front before the jobs summit to counter the ACTU’s attempt to pick them off with side deals, instead pushing for contentious workplace issues to be dealt with after this week’s gathering of business, union and community representatives.

Seeking to rebut suggestions of division within business, the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Australian Industry Group released a “joint statement of ambition” on Tuesday that stressed post-summit talks rather than union-employer deals as key to advancing their shared interests.