‘Red unions’ push for industrial relations bill to go further
“Red unions” say the industrial relations reforms proposed by the Queensland government do not go far enough, and they will campaign for a full reversal of the changes that came into law under Labor.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie last month unveiled sweeping new laws, including new powers that would allow him to terminate protected industrial action by workers negotiating deals with government.
The government also plans to hold a parliamentary inquiry into Labor’s 2022 efforts to scuttle the role of the “red unions”, long linked to the LNP, and review its union encouragement policy.
In a submission to the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee, published online on Tuesday, the Red Union Support Hub (RUSH) said the proposed bill did not go far enough to restore its standing.
The submission says it is on behalf of 15,000 Queensland members – 13,000 nurses and 2000 teachers – who “expect the government to follow through on their promises and make the necessary changes to restore the workplace rights the previous Labor government took from them”.
“We see this as an opportunity to fix what is a very ineffectual bill,” spokesperson Edward Schuller told this masthead.
“We’re pushing for a reversal of the 2022 laws … which the government are on the record of opposing at the time when they were in opposition.
“We would see [non-reversal] as the government misleading the people of Queensland.”
It calls for the removal of three Palaszczuk-era provisions in Queensland workplace law: the “conveniently belong” rule, which limits new unions in a sector where one already exists; a definition of industrial association that excludes their organisations; and rules on who can represent a worker in the QIRC.
A spokesperson for Bleijie said under the government’s proposed changes, red unions would be able to hire a lawyer to go to the QIRC on their behalf.
The spokesperson added that the parliamentary inquiry could recommend further reforms.
However, the RUSH submission called the bill “wholly inadequate in its current form”, saying it failed to secure freedom of association for workers and a return to the former settings.
“The government touted this when they introduced it to parliament as being a mechanism for competition, for being a mechanism for freedom of choice, but, as the bill is currently drafted, it does none of those things,” Schuller said.
A submission from the United Workers Union specifically referred to the changes giving red unions increased autonomy, saying the groups were not subject to the same governance requirements as conventional unions.
“Registered trade unions are subject to significant regulation under various legislative frameworks. Red unions are not subject to the same regulation,” the submission said.
“UWU submits that if these red unions are to be given the same representative privileges as registered unions, they should be subject to the same scrutiny.”
Other submissions focused on changes to the workers’ compensation scheme, which would include a requirement for employment to be the major contributing factor in a psychological injury claim.
In its submission, Business Chamber Queensland supported the proposed changes.
“We support amendments that can contribute to affordable premiums and effective claims management, including clearer communication about processes, faster claim timeframes and returns to work, and proper support for businesses and workers to manage workplace injuries,” it said.
“Queensland businesses have consistently told us that lengthy and uncertain claims processes carry administrative and financial costs.”
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