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26 June, 2006
The Australian labour movement will conduct protests against the Howard government’s WorkChoices law on Wednesday, 28 June, in state capitals across Australia. The demonstrations are part of a week-long effort organised by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in protest to the centre-right government’s draconian labour law reform.
The protests are countered by several major employers who say that staff will be penalised if they take leave from work to attend. The ACTU condemned such intimidation and bullying, saying workers have a democratic right to take part in public protests.
Trade unions and many of the state governments in Australia have filed legal challenges to Prime Minister John Howard’s reform, which went into effect on 27 March. Workers at some enterprises have also engaged in strikes, challenging the new work laws. Among other things, the broad-ranging gutting of workers’ rights has dismantled Australia’s enterprise bargaining system in favour of individual contracts, and exempts employers with fewer than 100 workers from unfair dismissal cases.