Unions plan biggest protest in Australian history
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-11-14 15:58

Australian workers will stage the biggest protest in the country's history Tuesday, bringing major cities to a halt over planned labour reforms, trade unionists warned.

The proposed new labour laws, which cut the power of unions in favour of individual workplace contracts, were passed by the lower house of parliament last week and go before the Senate later this month.

They are being promoted by the conservative government as a means of creating jobs and boosting the economy but critics argue they will instead cut workers' pay and rights to holidays, rest breaks, bonuses and allowances.

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) president Sharan Burrows said the demonstrations Tuesday "will be the biggest ever protest (and) ... the start of a people's movement against these laws".

The Australian Industry Group (AIG) of employers said in turn the rallies would be unlawful and encouraged its members to take action against any employees who attended.

Unionists predicted a turnout of hundreds of thousands of protesters.

"I just dont think, when the chips are down like this -- when we're talking about our fundamental way of life, about certainty around our living standards, our family lives -- that people will be cowed," Burrows said.

"There's no doubt there's growing opposition. There's a deep anger and concern out there," she told Nine Network television Monday.

Prime Minister John Howard has pledged to use his coalition government's new majority in the Senate to push through the laws despite opinion polls showing they have hit his popularity.

He was forced to launch a major advertising campaign costing tens of millions of dollars in an attempt to convince the public the changes are vital to maintain Australia's economic prosperity.

"Howard's been strongly criticised before over Australia's involvement in Iraq and treatment of asylum seekers but those issues have never really bitten with middle Australia," Australian National University politics professor John Warhurst told AFP recently.

"This has. People are worried their working conditions are going to be eroded and they're deeply sceptical about government reassurances."

The opposition Labor Party, which does not have the numbers to block the legislation, has said it would revoke the changes if it won power at the next election, due in 2007.

Labor leader Kim Beazley on Monday described the labour reforms as "a declaration of war on the ordinary Australian worker."

Howard's government was being "driven by ideology, not economics," he said.

"This legislation, basically, is about cutting people's wages and there will be plenty of small businesspeople around this country who will suffer when people's disposable income goes down."