Fair Pay law repealed – unions talk of ‘dark cloud’

Fair Pay law repealed – unions talk of ‘dark cloud’
Fair pay agreements were being negotiated. (Image: John Weekes)
Jem Traylen
Parliament has repealed the laws enabling fair pay agreements, one of the key achievements of the previous Labour government.The bill repealing the legislation passed its third reading under urgency on Thursday morning and will take effect as soon as the governor general signs the royal assent.The law allowed unions to negotiate minimum standards of pay and conditions for a specified occupation or industry, similar to the Australian awards system.Agreements were being negotiated for hospitality, supermarkets, security guards, bus drivers, early...