Union slanging match over new IR changes

The disagreement rests over an eight-point level classification structure under the Graphic Arts Award that was accepted by the Industrial Relations Commission last year giving increases of up to $3,200 for printing workers.

Steve Walsh, printing division at the AMWU, claims the new industrial relations laws that come into effect this week will halt these payments to workers employed under the Country Printing and Publishing Award.

“Thousands of country workers who work in the printing and newspaper industry are being denied increases that the AIRC has determined their skills entitle them to,” says Walsh.

“We are left with a five level structure with no skills relationship. These employers are greedy and selfish. They have shown a complete lack of concern for skills and rural Australia, despite the best efforts of the union.”

Walsh has criticised Printing Industries for adoption of a policy that he says consigns most of its members to a commercial disadvantage.

However, Printing Industries has struck back with the accusation that by supporting an AIG scheme to impose a metal worker’s skill based points system on companies under the Country Publishing and Printing Award, the AMWU was blinded to a solution that offered fairness to both employers and employees.

Greg Parkes, national director of employee relations for Printing Industries, says the union is pursuing a strategy that became redundant with the introduction of the WorkChoices legislation, claiming it failed to secure wage increases of up to $60 per week through a new industry-specific classification structure.

Parkes claims that while Printing Industries and Country Press Australia compiled a comprehensive package of changes to work conditions, the union insisted a points system derived from the Metal Industries Award should also apply to the Country Publishing and Printing Award, even though it was aware such a points system would be unacceptable to the employer bodies.

“The AMWU failure to accept the Printing Industries and Country Press Australia position resulted in the union application becoming a part heard and extinguished matter following the introduction of WorkChoices.

“This case highlights another example where the AMWU was not taking the best interests of their members into account when rejecting the wage increases and new classification structure offered by Printing Industries ,” says Parkes. “I am sure if the union members had of been given the choice they would have preferred the wage increases and no points system.

"Small newspaper and printing businesses do not have the human resources to implement a one size fits all points system; a reality even more so in the rural and country areas where commercial viability and profitability is marginal," he says.

While the debate over changes to the industrial relations laws continues, the new Australian Fair Pay Commission will now be responsible for addressing all issues relating to wages and conditions for the workforce.