Meatworkers face pay cuts under WorkChoices despite Govt's 'fairness test' A new Workplace Authority-approved job agreement that cuts the take home pay of around 300 workers at the Lobethal abattoir in SA's Adelaide hills district by up to $88 a week shows the Howard Government's fairness test is a total sham. Major abattoir operator T & R is proposing a non-union agreement for its Lobethal workforce that: ·               Completely gets rid of the rights of employees to paid rest breaks, annual leave loading, and other important allowances. ·               Cuts week-day and weekend overtime rates as well as public holiday rates. ·               Gives workers an annual pay increase of only 2% when this is below the rate of inflation and way below increases in the cost of housing, petrol and food for working families. ·               Removes without compensation a 10% loading paid to workers under the award to compensate them for the fact they can be stood down at short notice without pay if there are stock shortages. (The agreement gets rid of the 10% loading but still allows workers to be stood down without pay.) ·               Gets rid of the 38 hour week and increases standard working hours to 40 hours a week. The Howard Government's workplace watchdog has given the company proposal its tick of approval despite the fact meatworkers are not fully compensated for the loss of their conditions say unions. The head of the Workplace Authority, Barbara Bennett, who features in the Howard Government's million dollar a day WorkChoices ad blitz has written to the company to confirm the agreement passes the 'fairness test'. Ms Bennett has also advised the company the agreement does not contain any prohibited content, despite a clause that clearly discriminates against 457 visa holders by exempting them from access to unfair dismissal laws. ACTU President Sharan Burrow said: "Everyone suspected the 'fairness test' was a sham and this dodgy agreement proves it. "Here we have around 300 employees who are being asked to work longer hours for less money and the Federal Government has given it the big tick. "Barbara Bennett has put her stamp of approval on an agreement that cuts workers' award entitlements by up to nearly $90 a week at the same time she appears in dishonest TV ads to say workers' wages and conditions are protected under the 'fairness test'. "This is another disgraceful act by a dishonest and desperate Government that shows just how unfair are the WorkChoices IR laws," said Ms Burrow. Barbara Bennett & company contradict Minister Hockey's claim that meatworks agreement not checked by fairness test Workplace Relations Minister Hockey has wrongly claimed this morning that the Employee Collective Agreement for the Lobethal Abattoir has not been checked against the Government's fairness test. "The new agreement at the Lobethal Abattoir Ms Burrow is referring to has not even been put to the workers to vote on yet. Only if the agreement is approved by the workers will it then go to the Workplace Authority to be checked against the fairness test." Workplace Relations Minister Joe Hockey, 10 October 2007. A signed letter from the head of the Workplace Authority, Barbara Bennett, contradicts Mr Hockey and states the Lobethal Agreement has been checked against the fairness test and approved: "I am satisfied that the proposed Agreement provides fair compensation for the removal or modification of the protected conditions according to the guidelines for the Fairness Test as conducted on lodged agreements by the Workplace Authority." Barbara Bennett, Workplace Authority Director, 19 September 2007   A letter provided to meatworks employees by Lobethal Abattoir management states the proposed Agreement passes the fairness test: "Commonwealth Legislation requires the company to satisfy a "Fairness Test" when offering an Employee Collective Agreement and we have presented this to the Workplace Authority and have been advised the Agreement passes the fairness test." Darren Thomas, CEO of T&R Group (Lobethal Australia Pty Ltd), 25 September 2007  Ms Bennett's letter confirms that the Lobethal Agreement removes penalty rates, shift loadings and overtime. But workers at the Lobethal meatworks also lose other award conditions under the proposed Agreement. These include the complete loss of a paid rest break and annual leave loading, the increase in the length of the standard working week as well as the loss of a 10% stand down allowance (approx. $50 a week). The proposed Lobethal agreement gets rid of the 10% loading provided in the award but still allows workers to be stood down without pay at short notice if there are stock shortages. ACTU President Sharan Burrow said: "Mr Hockey needs to explain how this Agreement passed the fairness test when it removes so many award conditions that it leaves workers up to around $90 a week worse off. "He also needs to explain why the Workplace Authority is providing incorrect information to workers ahead of a workplace ballot on the company's proposed Agreement."