Labor To Restore Fairness For Government Workers

Media Release.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has challenged members of the LNP to back legislation restoring the rights of government workers stripped by the Newman Government last year using its massive majority.
Ms Palaszczuk said introduction of a Private Member’s Bill — Restoring Fairness for Government Workers Bill — reinforced Labor’s focus on jobs and job security and was timely in the lead-up to Labour Day celebrations on Sunday.
“Any thinking LNP MPs who truly believe in an independent public service giving impartial advice should support this Bill,” Ms Palaszczuk said.”
She said the Private Member’s Bill was designed to:

• restore conditions for government workers that were stripped by the Newman Government using its huge majority in 2012
• restore the independence of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission when determining wage cases
• restore the QIRC as the “layperson’s court” where workers and union advocates could operate on a level playing field with their employers without incurring massive legal costs.

“Before the March 2012 election the Premier told government workers that they had ‘nothing to fear’ from an LNP government,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“But within six months of winning the election, the LNP betrayed its own employees by exercising its massive majority and removing a range of employment conditions that previously helped ensure an impartial public service.”
“These provisions included protections against contracting out, employment security provisions, organisational change provisions and termination, change and redundancy provisions.”
“There is no fairness in a legislative framework that allows for agreed industrial conditions to be overridden at the stroke of a pen.
“There is no fairness in stripping away the rights and job security of tens of thousands of government workers.”
“We now know why the changes were made – to make it easier to sack 14,000 government workers including frontline staff such as nurses, doctors and teachers.”
“The Newman Government also watered down the independence of the QIRC by mandating its consideration of submissions on the state economy in its decision-making.”
“These changes were made by the Newman Government without consultation or prior notice, and were in direct contravention of guarantees made by the Premier in the lead-up to the 2012 election.”
“Today the Newman Government failed to rule out further job cuts,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said Labor’s Bill acknowledged the professionalism of government workers and would ensure state government employees had the freedom to provide governments with frank and fearless advice.