It’s come down to the very last day before Australians take to the polls to cast their vote on Saturday. And what is being billed as the tightest election race in years has many worried about the unthinkable result – a Tony Abbott, Liberal party win.

Make no mistake, under an Abbott Liberal government; workers’ rights would be attacked.

Australian workers and their unions would need to prepare for a savage assault on hard won rights. Recent history tells us that when these rights are stolen by right wing Governments and employers, the fight to regain them is long and hard.

Australians work hard for their money and deserve to know that their wages, superannuation and other entitlements are safe. They shouldn’t have to worry about being paid what they have already earned or rightfully owed.

Abbott would stop the long overdue plan to increase superannuation to 12%, a plan announced by Labor. That would mean hard working Australians would miss out on hundreds of thousands of extra dollars to take with them into retirement.

Labor has recently made some welcome announcements about protecting workers entitlements.  Julia Gillard and Labor have developed the Protecting Workers’ Entitlements package. This package stands in stark contrast to the Coalition, who will simply rip workers’ entitlements away.

The Global Financial Crisis and the Stimulus Package

Under Labor, the Government spent $16.2 billion on stimulating the economy when the global financial crisis hit. Thousands of Australian construction workers would have lost their jobs if the government hadn’t acted so swiftly.

Tony Abbott and the Liberals would cut this program, just like he cut health funding when he was Minister for Health and Ageing.

Construction workers know that it was Abbott who set up the Cole Royal Commission and established the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

Abbott will not implement a removal of the ABCC or their powers if elected. Why would he? As Workplace Relations Minister under the Howard Government, he created this abomination. So it’s his baby after all.

Rank and file members like Ark Tribe, who faces a possible six months imprisonment for simply standing up for his rights, would continue to come under siege, facing even more scrutiny and tighter controls than ever before.

The union will continue to fight for one law for all and we will not stop until this objective is achieved.

The Resources Rent Tax and Abbott

Abbott has also pledged to scrap the resources rent tax which would finally see the mining billionaires pay a fairer share of tax on the massive profits that they receive from mineral resources; resources which are owned by all Australians.

Don’t be fooled by the cheesy smile and Aussie Speedo persona. Tony Abbott is the most hard line right wing politician who has ever sought the support of the Australian people.

He was a minister under the John Howard led Government who sat at the table as the Liberals forced WorkChoices on Australians without telling the public about the policy before the 2004 elections.

He has said, “WorkChoices was good for workers,” but now says WorkChoices is “dead, buried and cremated.” He has also admitted on national television he lies to the public when it suits him.

What We Know

We know he supports bringing back compulsory individual contracts. We know he wants to get rid of unfair dismissal laws for millions of Australians. We know he would abolish the stimulus package which helped keep the construction industry and many Australian workers afloat in a serious world economic downturn.

We’ve had plenty of arguments with Julia Gillard, and however critical we are of Labor on particular issues; the fact is the union will always call it as we see it – regardless of which political party is in power.

But a Labor government gives us an opportunity to continue to make progress and move forward. If she is elected, we will continue to agree on some things and not others. But if Abbott wins, Australian workers lose. We know this bloke and we know what he stands for.

So if you support rights at work and a fairer society, there is really only one answer to the question we all face on August 21 – that is to reject Abbott and the Liberals and elect Gillard and Labor. To do otherwise risks both yours and Australia’s future.