Fed: Labor's IR plan about more power to unions: PM

AAP General News (Australia)
04-26-2007
Fed: Labor's IR plan about more power to unions: PM

CANBERRA, April 26 AAP - Labor's plan to replace the Australian Industrial Relations
Commission would hand more power to the unions, Prime Minister John Howard says.

Last night, Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd and deputy leader Julia Gillard announced
another plank in Labor's industrial relations agenda, saying a range of bodies including
the commission would be axed if they won office.

Labor would replace the organisations with one giant industrial relations umpire, to
be known as Fair Work Australia.

Mr Howard said today the new plan was not about good policy.

"This is a political device to give the impression of modernity but in reality it will
hand back even greater power to union bosses in a centralised body," Mr Howard told ABC
Radio today.

"It's all about the politics of industrial relations. It's not to do with the substance."

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KEYWORD: WORKPLACE HOWARD

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