Unions adopt open stance to Abbott changes UNIONS are keeping their powder dry as they await the release of the Abbott government's first tranche of workplace law changes but they haven't ruled out a national campaign. Government officials are expected to provide details of the first tranche of draft workplace legislation at a private meeting with stakeholders in Canberra on Wednesday. Among the first industrial law changes to go ahead when parliament starts on November 12 will be the reinstatement of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and applying the same penalties to corrupt union officials as apply to corporate fraudsters. Prime Minister Tony Abbott - who said during the election campaign he wanted to move the employer-employee balance "back to the sensible centre" - has also flagged a Productivity Commission inquiry into the entire workplace relations system. Any major changes stemming from the inquiry would be taken to an election, Mr Abbott said. A spokesman for Employment Minister Eric Abetz told AAP on Monday the minister had a "long-running positive working relationship" with unions. Details on how the minister would consult with unions and other stakeholders would be released "in due course," the spokesman said. ACTU vice-president and head of the powerful Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, Joe de Bruyn, told AAP the union movement was taking a "wait and see" approach to the new government but had not been approached for consultation. "I imagine employer organisations are busily talking to ministers at senior levels and saying they want to do this and that, but as far as I know there's no equivalent consultation with the unions," Mr de Bruyn said. But it's early days of course. He said there was uncertainty about what workplace changes would be made over the next three years, but unions had some baseline positions. "It would be my view that if the government was to propose legislation which either takes away the rights of people or the rights of unions or in any way tries to take away entitlements of people, the unions should be asking both the Labor party senators and Greens senators to block it (in the Senate)," he said. The union leader said he had concerns about the ABCC and the notion of restricting the rights of workers in one specific industry. Higher penalties for union officials found to have acted corruptly should also be opposed, Mr de Bruyn said. "Unions are not-for-profit organisations and to put them into the same ballpark as much larger organisations which are there to make profits is really not appropriate," he said. Nobody condones any union official who is doing the wrong thing ... but there are already penalties in the existing legislation. The union movement's Your Rights at Work campaign in 2007 was credited with helping to bring down the Howard government after the coalition used its Senate majority to introduce Work Choices. Mr de Bruyn said it was "possible" the movement could run something similar against Mr Abbott, but it depended on how far the prime minister wanted to go beyond what the coalition spelled out at the election.