FED: Unions urge IR ministers to scrap Howard IR laws urgently

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2008
FED: Unions urge IR ministers to scrap Howard IR laws urgently

Australia's peak union body has again called on the federal government to scrap the
rest of WorkChoices .. ahead of a meeting of state and territory industrial relations
ministers in Sydney today.

The meeting is expected to discuss the key features of Labor's proposed IR laws.

But the Australian Council of Trade Unions says the ministers must address the urgent
need to abolish the existing IR regime.

ACTU president SHARAN BURROW says it's wrong to assume WorkChoices is dead .. and tens
of thousands of Australian workers are continuing to be hurt by the laws.

The federal government introduced laws banning new Australian Workplace Agreements
in March .. when Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD declared WorkChoices dead and buried.

The government has said it'll take as long as it needs to reform the entire IR system
.. with the new regime to be in place by early 2010.

AAP RTV jcd/mfh/wz/psm/

KEYWORD: WORKPLACE (CANBERRA)

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