Unions seek quicker return on election investment ...

After a massive anti-Work Choices campaign leading up to the Federal election, it has taken the unions only 3 1/2 weeks to commence their campaign of threats against KRudd's government.

Not surprising that the unions won't tolerate the government not doing what it is told.

Only problem is that KRudd wants to make the scrapping of Work Choices into an election issue at the next election, hence the proposed delay.

Excerpt from the Australian:

Unions threaten Rudd over workplace reforms

19 December 2007

Union have threatened to campaign against the Rudd Government unless the Coalition's workplace laws are dismantled in 12 months, after Julia Gillard confirmed that Labor's planned restoration of unfair dismissal claims could be delayed with other changes until 2010.

The Deputy Prime Minister yesterday held out the prospect of Labor waiting until the next election year before honouring the party's promise to give all workers unfair dismissal rights.

The uncertainty over Labor's position has unsettled unions, which campaigned for the ALP during the election campaign and had expected a faster timetable for abolishing John Howard's Work Choices.

Unions were taken by surprise yesterday that Ms Gillard could delay unfair dismissal changes until 2010, allowing employers to continue sacking employees with impunity until then.

Ms Gillard met employers and unions yesterday at a private meeting in Canberra to discuss Labor's plans, with unions hoping she would accept a "progressive implementation" of Labor's industrial laws between now and 2010.

But asked specifically on Sydney radio about the timing for unfair dismissal laws, Ms Gillard, the Workplace Relations Minister, left open a delay of a further 25 months, saying "every bit of it" would be in operation on January 1, 2010.

"That's when awards will be modernised; that's when our new industrial umpire, Fair Work Australia, will come into operation," Ms Gillard said.

"Obviously, that (legislation) will deal with a number of matters, including unfair dismissals."

According to policy documents released earlier this year, Labor's unfair dismissal regime is to be run by a branch of Fair Work Australia, which Ms Gillard confirmed would start operation from January 2010.

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Brian Boyd said unions would lobby the entire federal Labor caucus in a bid to ensure Work Choices was scrapped by the end of next year.

"Two years is far too long," he told The Australian. "We have to accelerate the process of dismantling Work Choices. It's got to be done sooner rather than later.

"There are a lot of working people out there who should not be left still at the mercy of the Work Choices machinery. We know these things take time, but I don't think it needs to take two years.

"Our view is that the dismantling of Work Choices should be accelerated through 2008 and not go beyond 2008."

Unions NSW secretary John Robertson said his understanding remained that unfair dismissal laws could be in force before 2010. However, other union leaders said Ms Gillard was vague on timing.

"She may not have even made a decision yet," one said.
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See - Unions want return on their investment.