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Young Workers Vulnerable

"The new federal industrial relations legislation is likely to exacerbate the vulnerability of young temporary workers by removing award protections and encouraging individualised bargaining. In reality, few young workers will be in a position to "bargain" with their employer and they will feel even less confident about raising occupational health and safety concerns for fear of losing their job. Recent changes to federal Comcare legislation and proposed changes to federal occupational health and safety legislation could make the situation worse."

So writes Prof. Michael Quinlan in this op-ed piece in today's SMH. Read the complete article here.

The op-ed piece is part of a number of articles in today's SMH dealing with young workers and the appalling injury and deaths they have exprienced over the years. Read the centre-piece and feature article here. It highlights how the Federal Government's words about the the advantages of the new IR laws - especially for young workers - are totally hollow. That is the assessment of the writer of this article in the SMH.

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