WHAT'S THE BIG SECRET? LIBS  HIDING IR POLICY

10 March 2010

With little over a week before the state election, voters still have no idea whether the Liberals intend to strip them of unfair dismissal protections and introduce individual contracts.

SA Unions Secretary, Janet Giles says her request to the three key political players to provide details of their Industrial Relations policies has attracted responses from Labor and the Greens, but nothing from the Liberals.

"We're concerned about what the Liberals are not saying."

"IR was the chief battleground of the last federal election and cost the Liberals power.  Ever since, there have been concerns that they will attempt to reintroduce their thoroughly discredited WorkChoices model."

"In Western Australia, we've seen a insidious embracing of elements of WorkChoices since the election of the state Liberal Government.  We will fight against the same occurring here", she says.

"It's been more than a week since we asked them to detail their IR policy - if Redmond is indeed as "ready" as she professes then where is it?  If they have prepared their policy but simply won't reveal it, why?"

"The voters of South Australia deserve to know exactly what Ms Redmond would have in store for them.  If she is intending to strip workers of their hard earned rights, they deserve to know.  If she isn't, Ms Redmond should publicly state she won't introduce individual contracts, guarantee workers will be protected from being unfairly sacked, and rule out supporting a reintroduction of WorkChoices in the event of a federal Liberal government."

"Voters deserve to know whether Ms Redmond would be a puppet for Tony Abbott and Nick Minchin's thinly veiled desires to rob workers of their rights."

"We've seen the Liberal's Workers Compensation policy - could it be they know their IR platform will prove unpopular and that's why they're keeping it a secret?  South Australians deserve to know the facts before they cast their vote.  We call on Ms Redmond to tell them", Ms Giles says.