Statement from AREEA Chief Executive Steve Knott AM.

Minister Burke has either been poorly advised or is being deliberately misleading by claiming his wide-ranging IR Omnibus Bill would have little impact on mining and resources employers.

As outlined in AREEA’s submission to the Senate Committee Inquiry into the 249-page amendment bill, there are multiple parts of the Albanese Government’s proposed changes that would heavily impact mining and resources employers.

Unions can force bargaining upon employers and employees who don’t want it

Part 15 of the Bill removes the need for unions to obtain a majority support determination of employees in a workplace before initiating bargaining with an employer to replace an expired enterprise agreement.

Put plainly, unions could force any employer to bargain for a replacement enterprise agreement without requiring any employees, let alone a majority, to demonstrate their support for that course of action.

This would adversely impact many resource and energy workplaces, including their service providers, where enterprise agreements have expired and there has been no interest in replacing it given the above market pay rates and strong employee engagement in the sector.

This section of the Bill is nothing more than a blatant tool to increase union power, union revenues and ALP political donations.

Employees and employers should not be forced into enterprise agreement negotiations against their will.

Multi-employer bargaining is a ruse for unions to target non-unionised workplaces

The Minister repeatedly and incorrectly claims the majority of resources sector workplaces are covered by enterprise agreements and thus would not be impacted by multi-employer bargaining.

Again, he is either poorly advised or being intentionally misleading.

Less than half of the sector’s workplaces covered by an in-term enterprise agreement. Many resources and energy sector workplaces have ‘all staff’ common law arrangements in place, underpinned by Modern Awards, however paying well above award terms.

What is the Government’s justification for facilitating unions targeting these workplaces via a new “common interest” multi-employer bargaining regime?

Providing union organisers with a big new campaigning tool to target non-unionised workplaces will not help Australia’s economy or support increased wages. Had this policy been raised by the ALP prior to the Federal Election it would have been outright rejected by the Australian community.

Minister Burke can continue to try and hose down legitimate concerns with his IR bill. There is no one within the resources sector, or the employer community at large, that is buying the Minister’s claims.

You can read and download the PDF copy of this release, including media contact details, here.