Union fury at Julia Gillard's backdown
Australian Congress of Trade Unions President Sharan Burrow has expressed anger with Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who somewhat unexpectedly agreed Friday to allow the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to treat restaurants, cafes, and catering businesses in a category separate from hotels as the industry award modernization plan is implemented. Burrow claims that this could cause hospitality workers to be at a disadvantage, if employers do not respect their rights as employees. Burrow also expressed concern over the possibility of improved awards in other sectors, and asked that the government support a tax for high-income earners, whom she says were the sole beneficiaries of an earlier tax cut. Congress apparently plans to back a national union campaign intended to show the how the modernization will decrease the ability of unions and workers to protect themselves.
See "Union fury at Julia Gillard's backdown", Patricia Karvelas & Ewin Hannan, The Australian, May 31, 2009