Unions say they have been blindsided by the government’s Industrial Relations reforms.

The Coalition claims changes are designed to help businesses navigate the Covid-recovery.

It would make some businesses exempt from rules which safeguard the pay and conditions of all workers.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has told Brooke Corte it leaves workers worse off.

“There was 150 hours of talks and I can tell you, that’s a lot of hours, especially in the middle of a pandemic, and this proposal to allow employers to cut people’s take-home pay did not come up,

“We are pretty shocked about this and do believe that this is an extreme proposal that [the government] has come forward with,”

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