The modern union movement is nothing more than a management arm of the factory human resouses department.

When grubby low life like Bill Shorten, rob the unionists, the people they work for, with impunity, union effectiveness is dead in the water.
Of course workers won't join up in numbers required for the movement to be effective.

The only hope for reduction of poverty is Government directed redistribution of wealth through taxation.

Best of British on that one!

Dan

PS

There is a lovely naivety around this author which is appealing. Always a good read.

Dan

Interesting issue.

My recent interaction with unions, although I have not been a member since 2008, is that they are out of touch or not that competent.

At my workplace, we are still waiting for the 2019 pay rise, but no cigar yet because of the silly union demands. CPI plus $2 per hour.
for all awards.

While I recognise the historical importance of unions long ago, given workers were indeed exploited, we do now have other mechanisms to ensure some decency in terms of pay conditions, including public opinion (which said goodbye to the Howard Govt I believe over that issue, other welfare assistance, and the Fair Work Commission.

But as a powerful player in key industry sectors, notably the public sector, i believe that a smart trade union movement could play a role in the policy debate assuming it sees the difficulties ahead for Australia.

Your right Chris, unionists indirectly dispensed with John Howard.
That was one of the greatest steps forward for mankind. :-))

Dan

"Could unions in Australia be a solution to ending poverty?".

What an absurd question.

Debatable. With for and against arguments. What would our hospitals be like without a Nurses union? I believe that unions were necessary! And as long as rogue employers exist and persist!? Will have a role!

That said, the workplace that has never ever needed unions to ensure the best possible pay scales and conditions in the good times and job security during all the other times has been, Co-ops! (cooperative capitalism)

Co-ops were the one, stand out, stand-alone, private enterprise, free-market business model. That mostly survived the Great Depression largely intact!

Not known to have ever grown too big to fail, because that business model works best as small business that remains nimble and adaptive. And has a competent CEO!

The one failing has been in inherited membership who brought greed is good individualism to this table, sold out and generally stuffed the whole team enterprise! And for who, enough is never ever enough!

Ditto, rogue employers!

None of the greed is good episodes ever ended well for the preps! Except for the sons and daughters of the millionaire class able to move in, buy up at bargain-basement prices, automate and expand!?

A dollar a litre for milk? Yeah, no prob bro! After all, it's volume that always produces the most profit, not regulated, mandated margins!

This is the captive market corporate model that always comes unstuck, needs a bailout in the bad times! Or quite massive price gouging!

Me? I'd let them go under and be split up, divided among new slimmer leaner co-ops! And a far better, superior alternative to unions and exploitive, extreme capitalism!
Alan B.