IR reforms: evolutionary claims fudge fundamental differences

Andrews also criticises Labor’s promise to reintroduce good faith bargaining, opposed by the Liberal Party, some employers (pdf file 19.4KB), and free labour market advocates, who caricature the good faith principle (Industrial Relations Reform Act 1993 sec 170QK) as "compulsory negotiations with unions in non-unionised businesses" rather than acknowledging the principle as a guide for ethical workplace negotiation.

This cuts to the fundamental difference between the Coalition model and that adopted in the Keating-Brereton reforms, namely whether relations between employers and employees should be governed by collective bargaining arrangements, or by individually negotiated contracts where the worker usually lacks significant bargaining power (see Bargaining Power Myth).

Rather than the evolutionary continuity suggested by Andrews, his policy represents a quantum change to the Keating Government’s reforms.

Most ironical of all is that Messrs Howard and Andrews claim their policy represents an IR policy for the 21st century, accusing critics of going back to the 19th century. However it is the "freedom to contract" approach in the Liberals' policy which echoes 19th century employer opposition to legislation that regulated the employment relationship (Frazer 2002).