ACTU slams employer proposal for construction industry

Employer attempts to scrap Saturday penalty rates and cut casual shifts to as few as two hours in construction have been slammed by the ACTU.

Chief executive of Business Council of Australia Jennifer Westacott, left, and president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Michele O’Neil during a roundtable to map out IR reform. Picture: AAP

Employer attempts to scrap Saturday penalty rates and cut casual shifts to as few as two hours in the construction sector have been slammed by ACTU secretary Sally McManus, who demanded business groups abandon the contentious proposal.

Ms McManus, ACTU president Michele O’Neil and Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott were among union and employer representatives who attended an industrial relations roundtable in Sydney on Wednesday.

Attorney-General Christian Porter chaired the talks which are designed to try to reach consensus in five areas of workplace ­policy: award simplification; enterprise agreements; ­casual and fixed-term employees; compliance and enforcement; and greenfields agreements for new enterprises.

As part of what Scott Morrison said was a “laying down of arms”, the government dropped its proposed union-restricting Ensuring Integrity bill, which was targeted at the CFMEU.

Following the talks on Wednesday, Mr Porter said the government remained committed to opposing lawlessness on construction sites.

“I would hope that in a time where Australia is facing the greatest economic challenge outside of a world war that it has ever faced, that people on construction sites who have been behaving in an unlawful way dial it the hell down,” he said.

Referencing Mr Porter’s comments, Ms McManus hit out at construction employers for unilaterally applying to the Fair Work Commission for changes to building awards.

Master Builders Australia, the Australian Industry Group and the Housing Industry Association have sought an array of award changes they insist are needed to overcome the impact of changes to work practices imposed during the COVID-19 ­crisis. The changes would allow employers and workers to agree that ordinary working hours would be 38 hours a week between 6am and 7pm on Monday to Friday and 6am and 2pm on Saturday. Minimum casual shifts would be reduced from four hours to two and workers would get time off instead of paid overtime.

Ms McManus said on Wednesday that the union movement opposed the proposed changes and employers should withdraw the application. “We think employers should dial it the hell down when it comes to attacking workers’ rights,” she said.