The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s submission to the Inquiry has called for the Fair Work Act’s (FWA) general protections provisions to be repealed and adverse action to be abolished.
Such a change could heavily impact on the employer-employee relationship. Specifically, it would allow an employer to discriminate, injure, or dismiss an employee, leaving them with little means of redress.
The ACTU submission to the Inquiry has calling for better entitlements for casual workers. Currently, casual workers are not afforded strong protections in the FWA, specifically; they are not entitled to redundancy packages and other entitlements.
Gender issues in the workplace have also been identified as an area in need of systemic change. The ACTU submission highlighted the absence in the Fair Work Act of any obligation on employers to accommodate requests for flexible hours.
The Victorian government’s submission, quoting Workplace Gender Equality Agency figures, revealed that fewer than 15 per cent of employers have sound strategies for flexible working arrangements that support employees with family or caring responsibilities.
As the submission highlights, greater participation of women in full-time employment is necessary in order to combat the gender pay gap, recently recorded at an all time high in Australia.
RLC looks forward to the Commission’s response to these submissions.
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