‘Same job, same pay’ split proposed
The Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA) has shown its support for the splitting of proposed industrial relations legislation to fast-track worker protections.
Senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock put forth a proposal to split the Government’s Closing Loopholes Bill into four private bills that would give immediate effect to protections that are uncontentious and broadly supported.
AREEA’s submission to the current senate inquiry called for several elements to be separated and passed promptly.
These include measures relating to family and domestic violence leave, PTSD, asbestos management, and small business redundancy exemptions.
AREEA said it will continue to strongly advocate on behalf of its resources and energy members – covering mining, oil and gas and all types of service contractors to the sector – on the more substantive elements of the Closing Loopholes Bill.
“AREEA is most concerned with the proposed labour hire laws and the lack of a clear exemption for specialist service contractors which form the lifeblood of the resources and energy industry’s supply chain,” the industry employer group said.
“The senators’ four private bills that would give immediate effect to protections in these areas are a sensible approach which places the lives and livelihoods of Australians beyond politics.”
Currently, a Senate inquiry into the Federal Government’s Closing Loopholes Bill is underway, with the Government already agreeing to make amendments to the bill to provide greater certainty for workers.
The four major elements of the Closing Loopholes Bill are:
- criminalising wage theft
- introducing minimum standards for workers in the gig economy
- closing the forced permanent casual worker loophole
- closing the labour hire loophole.
Source: https://www.australianmining.com.au/same-job-same-pay-split-proposed/
