Greens Industrial Relations spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today joined Greens candidate for Grayndler Jim Casey to announce that the Greens will legislate to protect penalty rates. The Fair Work Commission is expected to make a decision about whether to cut Sunday penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers in the coming months.

Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt says the business and government push on minimum wages and penalty rates is likely to fail in the Senate after the next election.

Responding to reports of a renewed IR push by business leader, Mr Bandt, the Greens spokesperson on industrial relations, said the Greens would block any moves to cut minimum wages or penalty rates before or after the next election.

"The minimum wage should be increased not cut," Mr Bandt said.

Greens Deputy Leader and Workplace Relations spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, and Transport spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, have condemned Qantas and the Liberals for betraying Tasmanian jobseekers.

"Qantas and the Liberals have betrayed jobseekers in Tasmania," said Mr Bandt. "When it was closing its Brisbane and Melbourne call centres, Qantas sought to reassure the public that it would not send its mainland jobs offshore.

Responding to reports that the Government intends to allow employers to pay skilled migrants less than local workers, Deputy Greens Leader and Workplace Relations spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, said that Tony Abbott is undercutting local workers.

“That stench coming from Canberra is Work Choices rising from the dead,” said Mr Bandt.

“First the Government cuts part of Australia out of the mainland migration zone and now they’re excising parts of the country from our labour laws.

Deputy Greens Leader and Industry spokesperson Adam Bandt MP, and the Greens Transport spokesperson Senator Janet Rice, today condemned Tony Abbott for walking away from Qantas in its hour of need and helping bring about the largest loss in Australia’s aviation history.

The Greens have challenged the Abbott government to act to save Qantas and its local workers, after the national carrier posted a record $2.8 billion loss.

“The Government is set to give Gina Rinehart her wish and exclude the Northern Territory from national labour laws that protect people’s rights at work,” said acting Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP.

“Put yourself in the shoes of a young jobseeker in the Northern Territory, where about one in nine are without a job.

“Northern Territory’s young job seekers will be forced to compete with workers bought in from overseas who don’t have to comply with Australian labour laws and who can work for half the wages.

Greens Deputy Leader and Workplace Relations spokesperson Adam Bandt MP today announced that the Greens will block an attempt by Tony Abbott to curtail employment rights, by moving to disallow the Fair Work Amendment (Protected Industrial Action) Regulation 2014. The regulation weakens employees' rights to bargain, especially in Western Australia.

Deputy Greens Leader and Finance spokesperson Adam Bandt MP said that Australians are working only 2 days a year to fund unemployment benefits but nearly 10 days a year to pay for other forms of ‘welfare for the wealthier’.

“Last week, Joe Hockey tried to pit working Australians against those who need help, saying that the average working Australian works a month every year to fund the welfare of others,” said Mr Bandt.

Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt today said that workers and their families should prepare for a Government-backed assault on penalty rates. 

“Australians need to get ready for a Government-led attack on the wages and conditions of people who work unsociable hours,” said Mr Bandt.  

“The same Government that is forcing chaplains into schools at a cost of millions of dollars is saying that there’s nothing special about working on a Sunday.