JOHN Howard's workplace revolution is transforming pay deals rapidly, with every individual work contract surveyed in the first month of the WorkChoices regime axing at least one protected award condition.

And one in six new contracts paid staff only five basic entitlements, depriving them of 11 other award conditions such as overtime, rest breaks, holiday leave loading, and extra pay to work on public holidays.

The swift pace at which the new laws have begun to transform work contracts caught Workplace Minister Kevin Andrews by surprise. Only last Friday he suggested most new contracts still had many of the award conditions that employers were forced to include — or compensate workers fully to sign away — until March. "The evidence from the Office of Employment Advocate is that the vast majority of agreements which have been lodged with the employment advocate continue to contain things like penalty rates and overtime," he said.

Labor's industrial relations spokesman Stephen Smith said it was proof that the new laws "cause a race to the bottom" by employers. In a question time stunt, Labor MPs held up copies of the Coffs Coast Advocate reporting how local woman and lifelong Liberal voter Annette Harris was asked to trade away $90 a week in penalty rates for compensation of just two cents an hour by her employer, fabric retailer Spotlight.

In a sign of growing concern within senior Government ranks about the lack of bounce in the polls from the big-spending budget, Treasurer Peter Costello yesterday urged all Coalition MPs to step up their budget sales pitch in the next two months.

Mr Howard played down the latest poll, which gave Labor a 52-48 lead over the Coalition, saying "the full electoral and political impact of the budget will not be felt until it is received".

....you morons! Now do you believe the unions and; we, the people.....?