Low wage fight to step up

IF YOU enjoyed your morning coffee yesterday, spare a thought for the people that made it. They’re at the centre of a wage debate that is about to get ugly.

If you enjoyed your coffee yesterday, spare a thought for the people that made it for you.

THE Turnbull government today faces its biggest workplace relations challenge as Labor demands laws giving special protection to low-income earners on penalty rates.

The Opposition will present legislation vetoing reductions to Sunday rates announced by the independent Fair Work Commission last week, and preventing future cuts.

“A decision not to intervene is a decision to endorse the proposed cuts to pay,” Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says in a letter sent last night to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Shorten has requested a united front on the matter, reminding the Prime Minister his Government had previously intervened in the decisions of an independent tribunals.

Labor hopes to make the FWC ruling a potent political attack on the income equality policies of the Government, pointing out it wants to let through the reductions hitting some 600,000 low-wage earners while asking Parliament to approve $50 billion in tax relief for companies.

It wants to link Mr Turnbull to stunted wage growth and the move on penalties, and to the Government’s corporate generosity.

Labor will also be competing with the Greens, who want to present their own legislation with similar aims, for primacy on the campaign.

Labor sources are prepared to point out the Greens did not make a submission to the FWC during its hearings on weekend wage premiums, while Labor did.

However, in May last year the Greens Adam Bandt announced the party would propose laws entrench penalty rates, well before Labor did.

In his letter to Mr Turnbull, sent on Sunday, Mr Shorten noted the Prime Minister had said the Government would not intervene in the FWC decision because its independence had to be respected.

“Your Government has previously intervened to overturn decisions of independent tribunals,” he wrote.

“Within seven sitting days of the resumption of Parliament you legislated to restrict paid firefighters’ bargaining rights. And within one sitting days of the McGlade decision you rushed legislation through the House.”

Mr Shorten himself has been targeted by Coalition claims he was responsible, when Employment Minister, for giving the commission the very powers it used in its decision last week, but was not attempting to avoid that responsibility.

The Labor Leader addresses this in his letter to Mr Turnbull, saying it was “absurd to suggest that it is not the role of the Parliament to rectify decisions of statutory bodies which undermine the Parliament’s intent in setting them up”.

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash warns Labor is setting a dangerous precedent by calling for the commission’s decision to be overturned.

“You cannot have it both ways,” she said.

“What’s next for Bill Shorten? Is it legislating the minimum wage, is it legislating interest rates, is it overturning a decision by the judicial process that Bill Shorten says, ‘You know, I’m actually not happy with that’.” She compared the latest push by Labor to its “Mediscare” campaign during the last federal election.

Unions are voicing their anger, calling on all politicians to join them in their fight to protect worker’s pay.

“Malcolm Turnbull has shown he is prepared to overturn the Senate and statutory bodies in order to take rights away from workers,” ACTU president Ged Kearney said, citing the double dissolution election over the building industry watchdog, and laws on truck driver and firefighter conditions. “Now he has a chance to act for workers.”

— With AAP