Barely a day goes by without The Australian attacking some aspect of the new Fair Work regime brought in by the Rudd Government. Their attacks on the union movement are relentless. Leaving aside the obvious bias my big gripe is the fact we've barely had 8 weeks of the new laws yet according to this paper the whole world is going to cave in. Their self-serving survey of bosses was laughable.
In one article the paper says that we're going back to the 1960s. What absolute rubbish. I don't see compulsory unionism. I don't see centralised wage fixing. Yes, we're entering a new era. But it is far more accountable and transparent than Howard's laws. This is what scares the hell out of the business community. They actually have to abide by decent laws!
23 August 2009
Paul Howes wants a nuclear future for Australia
According to the AWU website National Secretary Paul Howes wants Australia to become a super-power of energy by mining way more uranium and building nuclear power plants.
Self serving drivel - you bet! Which union covers uranium mining? What a coincidence - it's the AWU! Sure Paul, let's mine more uranium. Let's have the stuff flowing like water...it's not as if nuclear materials are used for anything other than energy...
Oh wait, they're used in weapons that could wipe us off the face of this planet. No mention of the dangers from Paul. Funny that.
Self serving drivel - you bet! Which union covers uranium mining? What a coincidence - it's the AWU! Sure Paul, let's mine more uranium. Let's have the stuff flowing like water...it's not as if nuclear materials are used for anything other than energy...
Oh wait, they're used in weapons that could wipe us off the face of this planet. No mention of the dangers from Paul. Funny that.
20 August 2009
Now Australian industry Group cares about democracy?
Give me a fucking break! Heather Ridout, in her latest rant (click here), says that Fair Work Australia should stop interfering in votes for non-union agreements and wants to "...stop unions frustrating the democratic rights of employers and employees."
Unions are intervening because employers are not bargaining with them in good faith as required by the new Fair Work Act. If Fair Work Australia issues orders to stop a ballot it is because there is no other option. Basically her argument is that it's okay for employers to breach the law and not bargain as required under the Act and when the union wants a remedy for this breach of law they're stopping democracy. How absurd!
And since when did employers give a flying fuck about democracy? We didn't see them jump up and down during the height of Work Choices when employees had no democratic rights and had to cop what the bosses wanted.
Ms Ridout your hysteria is rotten and hypocritical nonsense. Grow a brain.
Unions are intervening because employers are not bargaining with them in good faith as required by the new Fair Work Act. If Fair Work Australia issues orders to stop a ballot it is because there is no other option. Basically her argument is that it's okay for employers to breach the law and not bargain as required under the Act and when the union wants a remedy for this breach of law they're stopping democracy. How absurd!
And since when did employers give a flying fuck about democracy? We didn't see them jump up and down during the height of Work Choices when employees had no democratic rights and had to cop what the bosses wanted.
Ms Ridout your hysteria is rotten and hypocritical nonsense. Grow a brain.
07 August 2009
Another lovely story about the Australian Workers Union
I was talking to a contact of mine who deals with the AWU. They told me the lovely story of how an employer wants to bid on certain construction work and they along with the AWU want to terminate the current union collective agreement and put in place a new one that pays lower. Just when all these warm fuzzy stories of alliances between unions have been doing the rounds, it's nice to know the true colours of the so called workers' union of Australia.
25 July 2009
National Day of Action for Same Sex Marriage
This unionist will showing solidarity with his gay and lesbian comrades by attending a rally: the National Day of Action for Same-Sex Marriage. It is disappointing that most unions have not done more to promote this event. Certainly the Australian Services Union through its GLAM network does an awesome job of highlighting issues being faced by gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-gender members.
Sadly, many unions don't follow their lead. I encourage all unionists to attend an event being run Saturday 1 August in your capital city - for more information check out this link: http://www.equallove.info/node/16/
Sadly, many unions don't follow their lead. I encourage all unionists to attend an event being run Saturday 1 August in your capital city - for more information check out this link: http://www.equallove.info/node/16/
08 July 2009
Australian Fair Pay Commission - good riddance to bad rubbish
Well yesterday Prof Ian Harper and the dropkicks at the so-called Fair Pay Commission, one of the last remnants of Work Choices, handed down their wages review for 2009. And the result of months of intensive inquiries and multiple submissions - nothing.
That's right, workers reliant on awards for their wage rises will receive absolutely nothing in 2009. Employers have successfully used the Rudd tax cuts and economic stimulus as a way of avoiding any contribution to getting this country out of deep economic shit.
From March 2008 - March 2009 the Consumer Price Index rose 2.5%, yet workers on the lowest wages won't get an additional cent off employers - and these are the most vulnerable workers too. Ones that are not on union negotiated agreements.
Well Professor Harper, I won't be sad to see the back of you. You're a pathetic excuse for an impartial arbitrator. You won't save any jobs with this stupid move - just make the working poor even more poor and line the pockets of employers. Hope you choke on your caviar you rich fuck.
That's right, workers reliant on awards for their wage rises will receive absolutely nothing in 2009. Employers have successfully used the Rudd tax cuts and economic stimulus as a way of avoiding any contribution to getting this country out of deep economic shit.
From March 2008 - March 2009 the Consumer Price Index rose 2.5%, yet workers on the lowest wages won't get an additional cent off employers - and these are the most vulnerable workers too. Ones that are not on union negotiated agreements.
Well Professor Harper, I won't be sad to see the back of you. You're a pathetic excuse for an impartial arbitrator. You won't save any jobs with this stupid move - just make the working poor even more poor and line the pockets of employers. Hope you choke on your caviar you rich fuck.
04 July 2009
Fair Work Act begins
So all industrial players now must adjust to the brave new world that is the Fair Work Act 2009. It'll be interesting to see how the laws play out. The opening of Fair Work Australia was used by the employers to urge caution against following American jurisprudence. I don't know what to make of that. I certainly don't want America's anti-union society.
It will be good to have more rights for workers, such as those unfairly dismissed. Nothing is more depressing than telling a worker that because they worked in a workplace with less than 100 employees, they had no right to take their grievances any further.
It will be good to have more rights for workers, such as those unfairly dismissed. Nothing is more depressing than telling a worker that because they worked in a workplace with less than 100 employees, they had no right to take their grievances any further.
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