The lead-up to the Federal Government’s much-hyped Jobs Summit in Canberra next week is being preempted  by the union movement, in an attempt to secure a return to the collective bargaining system to fight for pay rises.

Australian Industry Group National Workplace Relations Policy head Brent Ferguson says the union’s peak body, the ACTU, wants employers to agree that sector-wide agreements are crucial to lifting real wage growth and resurrecting the collective bargaining system, arguing the system is no longer suitable for small workplaces or low-paid workforces.

But Ferguson told Liam Bartlett on 6PR Mornings he believes this approach will take Australia backwards.

LISTEN to him explain why 👇