Penrith MP Stuart Ayres unmoved on wages
http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/penrith-mp-stuart-ayres-unm...
A DELEGATION of Penrith’s public sector workers met Penrith State Liberal MP Stuart Ayres on Friday to voice their worries over the State Government’s proposed changes to the public sector wages policy.
The workers said police, nurses, firefighters, teachers and other public sector workers in Penrith would have the worst workplace rights in the country.
They said they wanted Mr Ayres to cross the floor and vote against the legislation.
But Mr Ayres said he and the workers had “genuine differences of opinion” on the policy.
“When we sat down, I took on board their views and they allowed me the opportunity to state why I’ll be supporting the proposed legislation,” Mr Ayres said.
“These new laws lock in wages growth for public sector workers and encourage trade unions to work with the government in finding efficiencies to fund further increases over 2.5 per cent.
“It provides certainty to our state budget and opens the door to state government employees so they can begin working with us in bringing that around.”
Unions NSW Secretary Mark Lennon said public sector workers in Penrith and the rest of NSW deserved the same rights as any other worker in the country and that they would still fight the legislation.
“We wouldn’t allow any other employer to unilaterally cut annual holidays or increase the working week, yet the NSW Government will have that power over police, nurses and hundreds of thousands of public sector workers,” Mr Lennon said. “The Coalition said nothing during the election about denying working people a day in court to determine their wages and conditions.”
He said under the legislation a “ministerial stroke of the pen” could change employment conditions with no right of appeal to the Industrial Relations Commission.
Payne slams PM’s ‘broken promise’
SENATOR Marise Payne has called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to explain why Penrith has yet to receive a Fair Work Australia Office.
Ms Payne said Penrith was promised an office in 2007 and western Sydney businesses and workers deserved to know why it had not been delivered.
“Ms Gillard and Labor MP for Lindsay David Bradbury promised hand-on-heart on November 12, 2007, that there would be a Fair Work Australia office in Penrith to service the western Sydney area,” she said.
“After 3 1/2 years and another federal election, there is still no Fair Work Australia office in Penrith and no funding in the budget.
“It is not good enough for Minister (for Workplace Relations) Chris Evans to try and gloss over the issue by saying that the Fair Work Ombudsman has opened an office in Penrith.”
Ms Payne said Fair Work Australia could adjudicate on unfair dismissal cases and disputes, whereas the Ombudsman could only enforce the decisions made by Fair Work Australia and ensure businesses complied with regulations such as wage rates and working conditions.
“Mr Bradbury should be knocking on the Prime Minister’s door asking why there is still no Fair Work Australia office in Penrith,” she said.
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