Key independent senator David Pocock has vowed to not be a rubber stamp for the government, as debate continues on an overhaul of workplace laws.
Amendments for the industrial relations bill will be introduced on Tuesday and will include employers needing a majority of support from employees for a single-interest bargaining authorisation.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has also flagged that more amendments will be on the way, following the release of a Senate report on the workplace reforms later this month.
A vote on the laws, which would enshrine multi-employer bargaining, is expected to be held in the lower house on Thursday, with the government trying to race through the bill by the end of the year.
But Senator Pocock, who will be a critical vote in the upper house, said he was yet to make up his mind on the bill.
"I'm not here to be a rubber stamp, I'm here to work constructively and to ensure that we get this right and to ensure that we have enough time to get this legislation right," he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
"There's a lot of work still to be done on this bill. It's huge, it's a massive omnibus and it deserves our attention to ensure that it is a good piece of legislation."
While Senator Pocock said there was a need to get wages moving, talks were still ongoing with Mr Burke.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in question time he was happy to meet with crossbenchers at any time, but Senator Pocock said he had not spoken with him on the workplace bill.
The independent senator said he had concerns the government was trying to race the bill through parliament when votes on other critical legislation, such as a national integrity commission and restoring territory rights, were due to be held by year's end.
"It's pretty ambitious to get through what's listed, given the pace of things that I've seen and the process you have to get through to get any piece of legislation that is slightly contentious," Senator Pocock said.
"I put to the Senate that we need to consider adding more (sitting) days, but that's up to the government, they set the schedule."
Labor will need the Greens plus one crossbench senator to pass the bill.
Independent MP Zali Steggall accused the government of trying to shut down debate in the lower house to speed up the vote on the workplace laws.
"We needed to restore integrity to this institution - I would strongly say this is not how we go about it," she told parliament.
Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie said moves by Labor to shorten speeches on the bill were a "gag order by any other name".
"If the government believes in this legislation, they should be open for that debate and allow for that to be free-flowing," she said.
Mr Burke said a quick passage of the bill was essential in order to lift wages.
"We need to take action in legislation and action in the parliament to be able to close the gender pay gap," he said.
"The current bargaining system will not deliver pay equity, and the rules need to be changed."
© AAP 2022