The government is moving to reduce the time employees have to consider changes to their enterprise agreements. Unions say it leaves workers 'exposed'.

• The federal government has made a move to reduce the time employees have to consider changes to their enterprise agreements from seven days to one day.

• The move will make it faster for employers to make changes to enterprise agreements, on matters such as flexible work and delaying future wage increases.

• While the decision has been praised by the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Council of Trade Unions said it doesn't give employees enough time to consider the agreement.

• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

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The Australian Council of Trade Unions has called out the federal government's latest amendment to enterprise agreements.

On Thursday, federal industrial relations minister and Attorney-General Christian Porter approved the decision to temporarily reduce the time employees had to look over proposed changes to their enterprise agreements from seven days to one day. An enterprise agreement is between an employer and their workers, and covers things like wages and other work conditions.

Under this new change –named the Fair Work Amendment (Variation of Enterprise Agreements) Regulations 2020 – employees still have to genuinely agree to the proposed changes.

The Australian Industry Group supported the federal government's move, highlighting some of the changes that can be agreed upon like cancelling or delaying future wage increases, more flexible work arrangements, removing restrictions on part-time employment, and giving the employer more rights to tell employees to take accrued leave.

"Many enterprise agreements were reached in better times and contain provisions which are impeding businesses in responding to the COVID-19 crisis," Ai Group CEO Innes Willox said in a statement. "Where changes to an enterprise agreement are agreed upon between the employer and the employees, the new regulation will enable the changes to be implemented without delay."

Also praising the move is the Business Council of Australia, which said it will help protect jobs and "set Australia up for a strong recovery".

"With borders closed, regular duties changing and normal business hours decreasing, employers need the maximum amount of flexibility to protect jobs, avoid retrenchments and strengthen the Australian economy," Business Council CEO Jennifer Westacott said in a statement.

"These common-sense, temporary changes will enable businesses to collaborate with unions and workers to keep people connected to their employers and save jobs. For thousands of workers, the changes will mean the difference between keeping their job or losing it because their employer was hamstrung by restrictive, time consuming processes to make necessary and reasonable changes."

Westacott added that for large businees that can't get JobKeeper wage subsidy, this temporary change will help them "stay afloat."

The Australian Council of Trade Unions has slammed the change

Porter said concerns raised by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), would lead him to review the new changes, The Australian reported.

The ACTU argued that the new changes wouldn't give employees enough time to understand the impact of the changes, or have time to discuss them with either their colleagues or their union.

"By agreeing to these changes Christian Porter would be using his power to abolish rules that protect workers, their job security and their rights at work," ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said in a statement. "These changes will allow employers to ram through reductions in pay and undermine job security."

McManus added that the changes leave workers "exposed to employers seeking to exploit the fear caused by the pandemic and to pressure workers into rushed agreements, locking out their access to advice."

"We know that, sadly, too many employers will exploit the system if there are no safeguards for working people," she said. "The Government needs to stand up to big business and rule out undermining the job security and rights of millions of Australian workers."