NSW: Thousands voice concerns about workplace laws: Iemma

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2006
NSW: Thousands voice concerns about workplace laws: Iemma

By Peter Jean, State Political Reporter

SYDNEY, April 4 AAP - Thousands of people have called a NSW government hotline to express
concerns about the federal government's new workplace laws, Premier Morris Iemma says.

He said 3,600 people had called the "Fair Go" hotline since the new industrial laws
came into force a week ago, with some callers claiming they had been sacked without reason.

Mr Iemma said a spraypainter and two final-year apprentice electricians were among
those sacked with no reason given.

Another worker had complained he had been presented with a new contract that did not
allow the accrual of sick leave.

The premier also said a woman had been sacked for questioning aspects of her Australian
Workplace Agreement (AWA), while another woman was told she would no longer be paid penalty
rates on weekends.

"We are starting to see the evidence of how unfair and unbalanced the legislation is
and it's being felt right across the state," Mr Iemma told parliament.

"Employees are being forced to sign away their former entitlements or face the sack."

Mr Iemma said Opposition Leader Peter Debnam, who supports a federal takeover of most
state industrial relations laws, had no sympathy for the workers.

"That's the kind of workplace relations that the Member for Vaucluse (Mr Debnam) not
only supports but he loves," the premier said.

Mr Iemma raised the case of Sydney widow Rhonda Walke who he said was sacked as a part-time
medical receptionist after asking to discuss proposed new working conditions with her
employer.

Outside parliament, Mrs Walke said she was asked to sign a new job description by her
employers at a western Sydney doctors' clinic.

She said she asked for time to study the job description, which would have required
her to be on call to work extra shifts, and as required at another surgery owned by the
practice.

She said she was sacked the next day without being given the opportunity to discuss
the document with her employers.

"I'm shattered, I really am ... to think that I could be treated shabbily like this,"

Mrs Walke told reporters.

The partners at the medical practice where Mrs Walke worked declined to take calls
from AAP today.

AAP pj/was/tnf/sd

KEYWORD: WORKPLACE NSW

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