West Australian workers are in danger from a secret plan by WA Liberal leader Colin Barnett and Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott to bring back WorkChoices.
 


Despite Abbott’s claims that WorkChoices is ‘dead and buried’, the WA Barnett Liberal Government wasted no time in commissioning a review of WA workplace laws from former Howard lawyer, Steven Amendola.
 


The review specifically seeks to examine the reintroduction of the worst aspects of WorkChoices, including AWAs, cuts to unfair dismissal protection, and cuts to the minimum wage and award safety nets.
 


Up to 300 000, or 30% of the Western Australian workforce, could be forced back to pre-2007 working conditions, suffering pay cuts and reduced rights at work.
 


Despite repeated requests from Labor and WA unions, the Liberal State Government is refusing to release the report to the public.
 


AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver, visited workshops in Perth this week, holding talks with workers about the importance of stopping Tony Abbott from becoming Prime Minister, and Labor’s election commitments to ensure workers entitlements are protected from company collapses.

“This is classic ‘Phoney Tony’ behaviour – on the one hand, the ‘public’ Tony promises Australia that WorkChoices is ‘dead, buried and cremated’, while the ‘real’ Tony is secretly making plans to sneak WorkChoices back in, any way that he can.
 


“It’s an extra warning to all Australians that we would never be safe from attacks on our industrial rights under a Coalition Government.
 


“The only way to avoid a return to WorkChoices is to elect a Gillard Labor Government this coming election”, Dave Oliver said.