ALP national secretary George Wright has warned the coalition's plan to change laws in relation to unions is an "entree" to removing some working conditions.
Mr Wright was a key figure behind the Your Rights at Work campaign, which has been credited with helping Labor win the 2007 election and abolish the Howard government's controversial Work Choices laws.
Work is under way on the Abbott government's initial industrial legislation - relating to the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and bolstering penalties for union officials found guilty of corruption.
Mr Wright told the National Press Club in Canberra on Tuesday the Abbott government would take a different approach to workplace relations to that taken by Mr Howard.
"I suspect what you will see is a concerted effort by the government to really go after the unions first - union organisation and union finances - obviously as an entree to then have a go at members' conditions," he said.
"They will weaken and probably distract the machinery and organisation that protects workers' rights before they actually go after the rights themselves."
He said he had no immediate advice for the labour movement in how to address it.
"That is something that the labour movement as a whole needs to think about how it effectively responds to."
Making changes to the penalty rates system was an issue raised at a national tourism conference in Canberra on Tuesday.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief Ken Morrison was asked during the conference whether the industry wanted the government to reduce penalty rates.
"What was clear talking to the coalition before the election is they were totally gun shy, they didn't really want to talk about it before the election," Mr Morrison said.
"They said: `If you want this after the election, business is going to have to lead'. So you're seeing a range of business groups doing that now."
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