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The cost of Treasurer Troy Buswell’s review of Western Australia’s industrial relations system blew out by more than $200,000 in just two days, according to information obtained under Freedom of Information laws.

The review will affect the working conditions of more than 300,000 workers and recommend changes in areas including individual versus collective agreements, the award safety net, minimum wages, statutory minimum conditions of employment and unfair dismissal.

In an answer given to the Parliament on 25 November last year, the Parliamentary Secretary representing Mr Buswell in the Legislative Council, Hon Helen Morton MLC, reported that the review had cost $600,346.  However, in documents obtained by UnionsWA under Freedom of Information laws, it has been revealed that, as at 27 November, invoices from Mr Amendola alone totalled $849,817.

UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk said the fact Mr Buswell had given the review a blank cheque was scandalous, especially when Mr Buswell was slashing the budgets of government agencies delivering vital services to the community.

“The Western Australian public should be outraged that Troy Buswell has almost spent $1million on a review designed to make it easier to sack people and cut their minimum standards and conditions at work,” Ms McGurk said.

“What makes this expenditure all the more outrageous is that Mr Buswell’s splurge has come at a time when he is slashing the budgets of health workers, school workers, police, child protection workers and other frontline State Government service providers.

“Mr Buswell has confirmed to the Parliament that the review has been completed and, despite costs continuing to escalate, refuses to release the recommendations and let WA workers know what he has planned for their workplaces.

“UnionsWA demands that Mr Buswell stop this ideologically driven waste of money and release the Amendola review to the public.”

The report of the Economic Audit Committee released by Premier Colin Barnett and Treasurer Troy Buswell today confirms that the State Government has declared war on its own employees and the vital services they provide to the community.

The radical report has recommended that the State Government cease to provide essential public services, such as health, education, community safety and child protection and instead be a facilitator of private sector service provision.

The report also recommends giving the State Government the power to involuntarily terminate the employment of public sector workers and recommends an overhaul of minimum standards and the award safety net.

UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk said the Barnett Government had finally shown its true colours.

“Colin Barnett has masqueraded as a benign, middle-of-the-road, non-threatening Premier, but his government has now shown its true colours, Ms McGurk said.

“Today, the Barnett Government has been revealed as a radical economic rationalist outfit, who are more concerned with providing their mates in business with opportunities than they are with the welfare of their own employees and the important services they provide the community.

“Make no mistake, the recommendations in today’s report signal that the Barnett Government wants to see our nurses, teachers, police officers, child protection workers and other service providers phased out of the public sector and replaced by business people.

“This will be a disaster for the standard of vital health, education, community safety, child protection and other services in Western Australia, as the primary responsibility of service providers employed by business will be to their shareholders, rather than the community.”

The report’s release coincided with a mass meeting of delegates from Western Australia’s public sector unions, who came together today for the first time in almost ten years to defend WA workers from a hostile State Government.

More than 250 delegates from unions representing health, education, community safety, child protection and other public sector workers met today to discuss the State Government’s ongoing assault on public sector workers and services.

In addition to the radical Economic Audit Committee report released today, the State Government plans to introduce WorkChoices-style changes to WA workplace laws, with this coming on top of Mr Buswell’s arbitrary 3 per cent budget cuts.

Also occurring today was UnionsWA’s launching of an online game that challenges competitors to prevent Troy Buswell from introducing WorkChoices-style changes into Western Australian work places.

UnionsWA today demanded that Treasurer Troy Buswell release the recommendations of his $635,000 review into Western Australia’s industrial relations laws, so that 300,000 workers could have certainty before Christmas.

The State Government has been conducting a review of Western Australia’s workplace laws this year, with Mr Buswell appointing a former Howard Government industrial relations advocate to recommend areas for legislative reform in areas including individual versus collective agreements, the award safety net, minimum wages, statutory minimum conditions of employment and unfair dismissal.

It was revealed in State Parliament that Mr Buswell was in receipt of Mr Amendola’s report and recommendations.
UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk said WA workers had a right to know the plans Mr Buswell had for their workplaces and work conditions and demanded the Treasurer release the report and recommendations immediately.

“While demanding State Government agencies cut their operating budgets, Mr Buswell has splurged $635,000 of taxpayers’ money on a review to justify introducing WorkChoices style changes to WA workplaces,” Ms McGurk said.

“We now know the Treasurer has the report and recommendations on his desk and is keeping WA workers in the dark about the changes he plans to the award safety net, minimum standards, unfair dismissal protection and other important provisions.

“There is absolutely no excuse for Mr Buswell to be sitting on a report that could negatively impact upon the wages and conditions of 300,000 WA workers, many of whom provide essential services, such as health, education, community safety and child protection.

“On behalf of Western Australian workers, we demand that Mr Buswell release the report and recommendations now and not wait until just before Christmas, when governments often release bad news they don’t want the media to report on.”

UnionsWA launched its No WorkChoices in WA campaign in September to build public awareness of the State Government’s planned changes.  The campaign includes a series of television commercials, to highlight the threat the review poses to more than 300,000 workers remaining in the State industrial relations system.

Ms McGurk said the No WorkChoices in WA campaign would be run until the State Government guaranteed that it would:

• Not introduce WorkChoices style individual contracts in Western Australia;
• Not erode minimum standards or the award safety net system in Western Australian workplaces;
• Maintain the role of the WA Industrial Relations Commission as the independent umpire;
• Maintain protections against unfair dismissal; and
• Maintain and improve public services in WA.

More than 200 public sector union delegates will meet on 15 December to discuss the Barnett Government’s assault on public sector workers and how best to respond.

Agenda items will include the State Government’s planned changes to the State’s industrial relations laws, the effects of Troy Buswell’s 3 per cent cuts on services, the State Government’s wages policy, its economic audit review, its review of the Public Sector Management Act, its policy on industrial action and its planned privatisation of State Government services.

Over the last two weeks, we have seen how the Barnett Government treats its lowest paid workers.

With Troy Buswell about to announce changes to the way awards and minimum standards are set for up to 300,000 Western Australian workers, we need to send a clear message to Colin Barnett that we don’t want WorkChoices style laws in WA.

Please download our draft letter and post it to the Premier.  Feel free to personalise it by telling the Premier why it is important to you to be treated fairly at work.

You can download the letter here.

The State Government has shown its true colours by docking the pay of some its lowest paid workers who are currently campaigning for a fair wage increase.

School support workers, who include education assistants, school cleaners and gardeners, currently earn about $35,000 a year and are seeking a fair wage increase to help them deal with rising cost of living pressures, including more than $1,000 in increased electricity, water and gas bills from the State Government alone.

The State Government has refused to negotiate and school support workers have commenced limited industrial action.  In an unprecedented move, the State Government has responded by docking their pay – a measure they did not take during negotiations with politicvally sensitive groups like teachers and the police.

Unions WA Secretary Simone McGurk said the State Government’s measures were extreme and very Howard Government like.

“The Howard Government picked on young, low paid and vulnerable workers with its WorkChoices laws and it appears Troy Buswell and the Barnett Government are doing the same,” she said.

Ms MsGurk called on the Barnett Government to treat all of its employees fairly during negotiations.

Read the full story at The West Online.

Treasurer Troy Buswell last week failed to rule out cuts to minimum employment standards and the award safety net for more than 300,000 Western Australian workers, including 120,000 public sector workers.

On two occasions, Mr Buswell was specifically asked to rule out cuts to minimum employment standards and the award safety net for public sector workers during question time in State Parliament last Thursday and refused to answer the question on both occasions.

UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk said Mr Buswell’s refusal to guarantee the wages and condition of public sector workers was bad news for all Western Australians.

“Western Australia’s public sector includes health workers, school workers, police officers and child protection workers, who are all suffering under increased workloads resulting from the State Government’s arbitrary three per cent budget cuts,” Ms McGurk said.

“Through his silence yesterday, Mr Buswell has made it clear that the State Government is planning to bring in WorkChoices-style changes that will weaken the award safety net system and cut minimum conditions in Western Australia.

“This will make it harder to attract and retain public sector workers, particularly in the new Gorgon-led boom, where the private sector will be seeking to attract workers with better pay and conditions.

“This will not only impact on the quality of health, education, policing and child protection services, but also on public services that will come under pressure during the new boom, such as environmental protection and mine safety.”

UnionsWA has called on National Party leader Brendon Grylls to stand up for regional workers and block any moves by Troy Buswell and the Liberals to introduce WorkChoices-style changes to Western Australia’s workplace laws.

UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk made the demand as UnionsWA launched a new 30 second commercial on regional television that calls on Mr Grylls to focus on improving health, education, policing and other public sector services, rather than supporting Liberal Party moves that damage the working conditions of public sector workers in regional WA.

Read the media release here.  Download the ad here.

UnionsWA today launched a new 30 second television commercial slamming the effects the introduction of WorkChoices-style changes to Western Australian workplaces would have on the delivery of health, education, policing and other public services in WA.

The commercial was launched on YouTube and Facebook ahead of its official launch on metropolitan and regional television this Sunday.

The State Government is planning changes to Western Australia’s workplace laws, with Treasurer Troy Buswell recently appointing a former Howard Government industrial relations advocate to review the State industrial relations system and recommend areas for legislative reform in areas including individual versus collective agreements, the award safety net, minimum wages, statutory minimum conditions of employment and unfair dismissal.

The review is due to report to government later this year and the State Government is expected to announce its intended changes soon after.  More than 300,000 workers in the Western Australian public sector and in unincorporated small businesses are likely to be affected.

UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk launches the new ad at Sir Charles Gairdner hospital.

Launching the commercial at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital today, UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk said the introduction of WorkChoices-style reforms would further undermine the delivery of important public sector services.

“Health, education, policing, child protection and other important public sector services are already suffering because of Troy Buswell’s arbitrary 3 per cent budget cuts,” said Ms McGurk.

“Now the State Government is planning to bring in WorkChoices-style changes that will weaken the award safety net system and cut minimum conditions in Western Australia.

“This will make it harder to attract and retain public sector workers, particularly in the new Gorgon-led boom, where the private sector will be seeking to attract workers with better pay and conditions.

“This will not only impact on the quality of health, education, policing and child protection services, but also on public services that will come under pressure during the new boom, such as environmental protection and mine safety.”

Ms McGurk said two versions of the commercial would go to air, one in the metropolitan area and one in regional WA.

“One of our commercials will be speaking directly to Premier Colin Barnett and reminding him that he was elected to improve public services, not to weaken the award safety net and cut minimum conditions for public sector workers.

“We will also be screening a commercial in regional WA that speaks directly to National Party leader Brendon Grylls, whose support Mr Barnett and Mr Buswell will need if they want to pass legislation to bring in WorkChoices-style changes to WA workplace laws.

“We want to remind Mr Grylls that the people of Western Australia will hold him as responsible as Mr Barnett and Mr Buswell if changes are introduced that make life tougher for Western Australian workers.”

Ms McGurk said the No WorkChoices in WA campaign would be run until the State Government guaranteed that it would:

• Not introduce WorkChoices style individual contracts in Western Australia;
• Not erode minimum standards or the award safety net system in Western Australian workplaces;
• Maintain the role of the WA Industrial Relations Commission as the independent umpire;
• Maintain protections against unfair dismissal; and
• Maintain and improve public services in WA.

The No WorkChoices in WA campaign was launched in Kings Park by UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk on Sunday and our television advertising campaign is now underway on channels 7, 9 and GWN.

Our launch featured a giant mobile billboard, which will be doing the rounds of WA in the weeks ahead, and about 30 workers who will be affected if the State Government brings in WorkChoices-style changes and undermines employment conditions and the award safety net.

For more photos of the launch, please visit our Facebook group.

UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk