Page 629 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 23 March 1993
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Industrial Relations
MRS GRASSBY: My question is directed to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Industrial Relations. Would the Minister explain to the Assembly the Government's policy and strategy for guaranteeing industrial harmony in the ACT?
MR BERRY: I thank Mrs Grassby for the question. Madam Speaker, some significant steps have to be taken in order to achieve industrial harmony and much work has been done in the ACT to ensure that that end result is achieved. The first and most important step is to stop the Liberals from getting elected, and we have achieved that. The Liberals federally had promised to tear apart our industrial relations system and to create a system of industrial turmoil that has not been the case in Australia since the turn of the century. Having made sure that that will not happen, we have to now continue in the ACT to build on the strengths of the industrial relations system that has been developed over many years. I note that accord mark VII has been agreed and that will play a significant role in the development of industrial relations in this Territory because, as all members would appreciate, the Federal Industrial Relations Act will continue to have a great bearing on the way that we deal with industrial relations here in the Territory. Most importantly, it is a system which involves workers, unions and the Government in a process of conciliation.
I noted with interest, Madam Speaker, a newspaper article which talked about the New South Wales industrial relations system which, in my view, has plotted a course which will lead to considerable confrontation. According to Inside Enterprise Bargaining, a magazine which is circulated by employers, legislation in New South Wales has resulted in a whole range of agreements being filed with the New South Wales Industrial Registrar.
Mr Kaine: I take a point of order, Madam Speaker. I understood the question to ask the Minister what he intended to do. We have heard about the Feds. We are now hearing about New South Wales. When is he going to answer the question about what he will do? I draw his attention to the question of relevance.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Kaine.
MR BERRY: It is entirely relevant. We are talking about winners and losers. If you create a system of winners and losers, which you propose and which you supported, we end up with the sort of situation which is developing in New South Wales. We have to ensure that that does not happen here in the ACT. That needs to be pointed out in the context of the development of an industrial relations system based on harmony. In New South Wales 42 per cent of agreements successfully registered were negotiated without union involvement. The article goes on to say:
Most non-union enterprise agreements do not indicate any wage rises, whereas most union agreements do. The non-union agreements tend to focus on cost-cutting measures such as eliminating penalty rates, whereas union agreements are more likely to contain long-term productivity initiatives such as developing work teams and training programs.
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