The Federal Government of Australia is struggling to fight of fierce criticisms over its plans to reform industrial relations into a single centralised system. Now church leaders have joined in the bandying.

|TOP|Critics, including opposition leader Kim Beazley, fear that the proposed changes young vulnerable workers will be the worst-affected and that the reforms compromise the rights and working conditions of employees and their families, as weekends and benefits are negotiated away.

Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, warned the parishes of his diocese Monday night of the dangers of the reform proposals, highlighting the “need for preserving shared time for children, families, relationships for all Australians”, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

“That’s what life is about, not the economy,” he said.

The President of the Uniting Church, the Rev Dr Dean Drayton, said the Government’s proposed changes were more about choice for business than protecting the country’s workers.

“The Government is so focused on the economy as an end in itself that it has lost sight of the real purpose of economic systems,” said Dr Drayton. “The economy is a tool which should serve the needs of the people.”

Dr Jensen said prosperity had already been “purchased at a fearful price to relationships”.

He said: “The cost of living virtually demands two incomes in a family; work has become all-demanding; shopping has become a recreation instead of a mere necessity; sport and children’s activities impact more and more on Sunday...Christian service has to be done on top of an already stressed life.”

The Government’s reforms, which emphasis individual bargaining between workers and bosses, will be introduced into Parliament in the week beginning October 31.

Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday that he was writing to church leaders and had met with the Anglican Primate, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall.

The executive officer of the Australian Catholic Commission for Employment Relations, John Ryan, however, said the new system did not appear to address fundamental concerns about “fairness and balance” and provided very limited safeguards, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.

Mr Ryan highlighted the danger for young workers without bargaining power and new employees who would be especially affected by the changes.

Dr Ray Cleary of Anglicare reiterated these concerns: “Low-skilled workers, young people and those from non-English backgrounds would find it extremely difficult to negotiate in the same way that collective agreements are bargained for.

“It is highly unlikely that vulnerable workers are going to make a song and dance about penalty rates and overtime and other conditions that they stand to lose in this brave new world of IR,” said Dr Cleary, who also chairs the Social Responsibilities Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne.