From Wise Counsel Good Works Shall Come

By Greg Combet

Works Councils are often depicted as Trojan horses for de-unionisation. They can be turned to a more progressive role in transforming the workforce.

There are a number of reasons why Australian unions should be encouraging a debate about works councils. It is about the right of employees to be informed and consulted about the decision that affect their lives. As Ron McCallum has said, citizens who have the right to participate in decisions about their lives outside work (through voting for example) "have no legal right to elect a consultative body to participate in workplace governance."

Employers resist Works Councils as a "backdoor grab for union members." However it is about the right of citizens to be involved in decision making and consultation.

Combet sees now as a time of fundamental change in workplaces and the economy, so it is even more important that workers have a say in what is happening to them.

(Arena Magazine; December 2002- January 2003)