Under the Howard Government’s IR changes unfair dismissal protections have been abolished for all people working in workplaces with fewer than 100 workers. 

Prior to the passage of the Howard Government’s IR laws, almost all working Australians enjoyed the protection of a strong award system. Around 1.6 million Australian working people rely only on awards to protect all their pay and conditions. Millions of other workers have relied on awards to underpin their basic rights and conditions. The Howard Government has abolished the award safety net.

The Howard Government has changed the way minimum wages are set to make them lower, by 

• Stopping the independent umpire – the Industrial Relations Commission – from setting minimum wage rates. 
• Deciding the minimum wage should be set by the so-called “Fair Pay Commission.” Unlike the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Fair Pay Commission does not have to consider what is fair, and taking into account living standards in the community. 
• For more than 100 years minimum wages in Australia have been set, reviewed and increased by an independent body, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. This system ensures that low paid workers and their families are not left behind. 

The Howard Government has reduced the powers of the independent Industrial Relations Commission. This is a recipe for more disputes and lower workplace standards.

For over 100 years Australia’s state and federal Industrial Relations Commissions have acted as the independent umpire at work, settling industrial disputes and setting decent minimum standards enjoyed by all workers. The federal and state Industrial Relations Commissions were unique to Australia. They provided an independent forum where working people can take disputes with their employer if things go wrong.