Academic discusses IR laws, unions

Issue 

On November 11, around 50 people attended a public meeting at Unions NSW on building unions under a Labor government, organised by new left-wing "think-tank" Catalyst.

King's College law professor Keith Ewing outlined the failure of the union movement to capitalise on the past 10 years of New Labour in Britain, and drew parallels between Australia and Britain.

Ewing was critical of New Labour's neoliberal policies, but he also said that unions shared some of the blame for the fact that after 10 years of a New Labour government, union membership is dropping and collective bargaining coverage has slipped to 33%, down from 36% in 1997.

Ewing also called for a return to national and sectoral bargaining, rather than enterprise bargaining, arguing "the higher the level at which bargaining takes place, the higher the level of bargaining penetration".

Industrial law professor Ron McCallum also spoke. He criticised the ALP's "Forward With Fairness" for not doing enough to protect workers' rights, and argued that Fair Work Australia — the proposed replacement for the Australian Industrial Relations Commission — will face a constitutional minefield that will make it unworkable within five years.

If you like our work, become a supporter

Green Left is a vital social-change project and aims to make all content available online, without paywalls. With no corporate sponsors or advertising, we rely on support and donations from readers like you.

For just $5 per month get the Green Left digital edition in your inbox each week. For $10 per month get the above and the print edition delivered to your door. You can also add a donation to your support by choosing the solidarity option of $20 per month.

Freecall now on 1800 634 206 or follow the support link below to make a secure supporter payment or donation online.