Warning for Australian small businesses

The Australian federal opposition party is warning small business owners who sack workers under the new industrial relations laws, that they could face court action.

A sacked worker in Tasmania has come forward claiming to have lost her job with no recourse as a result of the new industrial relations laws.

Labor's Stephen Smith says small business owners will risk expensive court action.

"In the end, when you take away people's legitimate rights, they will try and seek remedies in other ways," he said.

"Nearly four million Australian employees can be sacked without a reason."

A woman, known only as Elizabeth, says she was sacked after working at a small Tasmanian sports club for 10 years.

She says she had fallen behind in her job after doing the work of two people since a colleague resigned.

She claimed she was sacked the same day the new workplace relations laws started.

"Ten years I've worked there and not a single written warning letter over anything, so I don't know why when one thing happens and they do this," she said.

"The meeting was at 12:30 and by 1:00pm at close of meeting I no longer had a job."

The Council of Australian Small Business Organisations is a big supporter of the Government's new IR laws and especially the exemption from the unfair dismissal provisions for small and medium-sized companies.

Council chief executive Tony Steven says it restores balance because workers have always had the right to quit.

"Surely small business owners have the right to be able to say 'look I am sorry our relationship is not working'," he said.

Mr Steven says the new exemption for companies with fewer than 100 employees will allow bosses to move workers on.

"If there is a problem in our workplace we can fix it," he said.

Mr Steven says productive workers have nothing to fear.

"My message to employees is to realise that their job security comes from their attitude and their experience now, not necessarily from their employers," he said.

"It's a step towards self responsibility and I think that anybody that is willing to work hard and has the right attitude will secure a job for life."

The ACTU say the new laws have already been used to sack workers.

- RADIO AUSTRALIA