Employer and employer association matters in Australia in 2017

Abstract

Employers saw some progress in their favour in 2017, including the Fair Work Commission's decision to cut penalty rates in various retail and hospitality awards, and the introduction of legislation to repeal the 4-yearly awards review process. But in spite of these advances, progress on their desired wholesale reform of Australia's industrial relations system had taken a back seat. Much of employer activity had been directed at fending off unions' claims for changes, such as the automatic conversion of casuals to permanent employment, paid domestic violence leave and for a high increase to the nominal minimum wage. Employers' defensive stance on the aforementioned matters was in contrast to the unions' more forceful positioning. Consequently, we argue that in 2017, as in the past few years, employers' remained frustrated at a lack of progress in reforming industrial relations in their favour.