Kym makes a good case. All commentators are sure that the IR legislation will make unskilled workers poorer. However the changes in the Australian economic environment over the past 15 years also mean that educated, skilled workers also work in an unstable workplace.

It takes 5 to 7 years to train and gain sufficient experience to work as an experienced nurse, accountant, teacher, engineer or programmer. As students are now expected to pay for their degrees young people must evaluate the costs of their education against the likelihood that they will find stable employment in their chhosen field so they can pay off their HECS debt, find a job, find a life partner and get a mortgage.

When countless graduates have already found that their job has disappeared at the stroke of a bureaucrat or politician's pen you wonder for how much longer can Australia call itself the lucky country. You also wonder for how much longer can Australia still continue to squander its social capital and infrastructure before we become a basket case.

Kym, A very good piece, congratulations, although you will have some on the forum, accusing you of being a "leftie, or a commo" for merely stating the bleeding obvious. All the major Churches are opposed to this legislation, one could hardly describe the Churches as leftie's or commo's, but please brace yourself, as these comments will come. Fairness, and equality are strange bedfellows for the extreme right wing elements who preside here, they are unable to see reason, so whilst I agree wholeheartedly with your piece, others in this place will not. Common sense tells us that whether we be employer or employee, we want/need security, and we don't want to lose income, even by stealth, as is proposed. However in light of the sedition laws, maybe it is not a good idea for me to comment any further.

We are evolving back to the past where a reasonable wage or salary were seen to be dirty words by the ruling class. It will not be too long before we need to know our place. THe aim of the IR legislation is to reduce pay increases in the future.
AWAs provides the avenue to divide and conquer; no matter what is stated or written, there is no equality in the bargaining situation between employers and employees. It has been stated that employees can utilize their Unions in any negotiations with employers; however, the IR legislation seeks to knobble Unions and the Labor Party itself.

The IR legislation provides the situation where employers can become leaches; unfairly taking from their employees to yield profits for themselves or for their share holders.

I recently signed a individual workers agreement. I sat in a 45 minute meeting with my 2 new employers. It was a strange but highly rewarding experience. We negotiated payment plans, working conditions, clear expecations and other entitlements. I work on the mantra that you have to give a little to make a alot. I may, as some may feel, have given away my 'workers rights' but I have gained flexibility, an understanding of my role in the business and an opportunity to grow in the future.

I am employed for one reason- to produce income and grow the business. I work for one reason- to generate income, develop skills and gain from that growth. I am under no illusion that I will be pushed to perform but have confidence that I will be able to demonstrate value to the business.

People need to move past the whole employee vs employer relationship. Employees are not static units of production but valuable capital assets. For every dollar the employer spends on an employee he gets a business benefit.

I don't feel dominated by the new reforms, I feel empowered. Do I feel 'stable' in my employement? You can bet on it, because I have the skills, the drive and my employer knows it.

A persons job should only be as secure as the output they produce. Providing incentives to work harder should not be viewed negatively because it benenfits both the employer AND employee. If I don't want to take compulsory two weeks holiday I don't have to. If I do it is my choice. If the employer puts the screws on me- I can walk, and so will his business: risk flows both ways. There may be cases where employees are treated unfairly but the vast majority of managers see value in investing in human capital.

My suggestion to anyone who feels 'insecure' in their job is to evaluate their own skills, look at their worth to the business and negotiate accordingly. It is your job -own it, and I am sure you and your employer will see the benefit.

Marlo, thats great for you, and I'm sure many people will benefit from these laws. I rather expect to be one of them. But I really worry about people like my younger brother - he has skills that are in demand (he is an apprentice builder), but he does not have a great deal of confidence, and had learning difficulties, meaning that he is not very good at understanding legalistic terminology, and would be quite lost trying to negotiate what sort of leave he should be entitled to etc.

I also worry that some of the really wonderful gains that have been made in recent years with regards to things like maternity and paternity leave will be lost- who, starting a job at 19 (as my brother is), will think "ooh, better make sure I include paternity leave in my agreement"- by the time he gets around to needing it, it will have been off the negotiating table for so long, he probably won't even realise he should be able to access such entitlements

Laurie's point is well made; and I am glad for Marlo - I have spoken to a few employers and depending on their individual circumstances some are committed to their staff and recognise the interdependancy - others don't give a flying act of copulation; however where there may be some winners and losers at the smaller enterprise level it is the potential impact of larger operators that will truly test our patience.

Some where out there will be a Chris Corrigan type - the BCA probably have him in training now brushing up on media skills, dog handling, listening to endless tapes of the proceedings of the H R Nicholls Society, learning how to accessorise with a balaclava and baton - the usual stuff.

It will invariably be a larger organisation, well supported by outfits like the Farmers Federation who were so instrumental in backing Corrigan on the water front ( they've already got stuck into Barbaby Joyce )- that is where the steady downward pressure on conditions will be initiated. It might be some one like Quantas, possibly larger health care conglomerates or even some of the larger hotel chains.

One off self mad man stuff for all the joy they bring to our collective hearts will soon be outnumbered by large scale structural adjustments in wages and conditions;