Unions to go after bosses who cheat employees on JobKeeper
The Australian Council of Trade Unions has all but ruled out more industry-wide compromises with employers after the government's JobKeeper legislation passed Parliament on Wednesday.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus said it was now employer's turn to "step up" and take advantage of JobKeeper rather than asking for further compromises on workers' pay and conditions, which unions had agreed to in three big bargains struck before the $130 billion wage subsidy plan was announced.
Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus says employers who breach the JobKeeper laws will face public campaigns from unions.Credit:AAP
"You're going have to actually prove that you can't get the JobKeeper and also prove that you're suffering because... not all employers are," Ms McManus said. "And just because there's a little bit of a downturn isn't justification for cutting hours and we won't be accepting any proposals to cut pay."
Employer groups, including in the real estate industry, have pushed for further changes to industrial awards to give businesses an even greater ability to reduce pay and working hours amid the downturn.
Businesses that receive JobKeeper are already set to get broad powers to change employees' rosters, locations and duties where necessary.
Ms McManus said that meant there was "no need whatsoever for any other changes to the Fair Work Act" in industries where most employers will qualify for JobKeeper.
Any employer that disregards safeguards in the scheme, which include requirements employees can keep two weeks of holidays and are allowed to work less if their pay drops, will be confronted with naming and shaming and legal action, Ms McManus said.
"The trade union movement is going to be all over any employer who tries to profit from the pandemic," she said.
About 1 million casual workers and a similar number of migrant workers are ineligible for JobKeeper, but the eligibility criteria can be altered by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, which Ms McManus said would be a focus for the unions.
Meanwhile, the Fair Work Commission said on Wednesday it would consider a push from unions representing frontline medical workers to give them paid pandemic leave, which could be used multiple times in the case of repeated exposures to the coronavirus.
Ms McManus said the unions were still negotiating with employers and governments but the states "understand very well the need for it".
One area where unions are still open to negotiation with businesses, Ms McManus said, was where very high turnover businesses took a significant hit to their earnings, but not enough to meet the 50 per cent revenue loss condition for JobKeeper.
There, unions will negotiate company by company rather than across an industry.