Workers in Sydney protest against Australian Prime Minister John Howard's proposed labour reforms Nov.15, 2005. (Xinhua/Reuters)

CANBERRA, Nov. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- A nation-wide protest against the government's controversial industrial relations reforms attracted hundreds of thousands of Australian workers across the country Tuesday.

    Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) estimates that more than 540,000 people across Australia took part in the nationwide protest.

    About 150,000 protesters took to the streets in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, bringing the center of the city to a standstill, while in Sydney, the largest city, up to 30,000 workers marched on the city center.

    In Brisbane and Adelaide, capital cities of the states of Queensland and South Australia, the rallies each attracted around 15,000 protesters.

    It was reported that about 2,500 people attended a rally in Darwin, capital city of Northern Territory, 4,500 people in Hobart, capital of the state of Tasmania, and 10,000 in Perth, capital of Western Australia.

    However, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said more than 95 percent of workers had ignored the call-out to join the protest against the federal government's Work Choices Bill, currently the subject of a Senate inquiry.

    In the past few days, big companies and the government have been warning the workers about the risk of considerable fines and damages for economic losses if they went on strike in breach of their employment agreements.

    The government's industrial relations reforms have been opposed by the federal Opposition and unions, who argue the reforms will lead to reduced wages and conditions for workers and lead to job insecurity.

    Meanwhile, the ACTU said Tuesday's mass protests are just the start of a long campaign to fight the proposed changes in the industrial relations.

    Federal Opposition leader Kim Beazley, who took part in the rally in Brisbane, warned the workplace changes will eat away and eventually crumble the fabric of Australian society like a termite infestation, saying wage levels in Australia would eventually rival those in developing countries and pay rises would be lower and less often. Enditem