With the government's unfair new employment laws due to come into effect on 1 April the EPMU is preparing its response, including workplace and other campaign activities.

The 1 April law changes include extending the 90-day no-rights trial period to any worker starting a new job (rather than workers working for small businesses), restricting union members' access to union officials to when the employer agrees and trading the fourth week of annual leave.

According to Department of Labour data one in five workers hired with a 90-day trial period were fired under it.

"We all need to draw attention to just how unfair these new laws will be and start preparing for the workplace-based campaign that is necessary to defeat them," said EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.

"The first step will be to start making claims to employers in collective agreement negotiations."

"For workplaces where there is no bargaining this year we will be talking to delegates about approaching their employer now to get an undertaking that they won't exploit these laws."