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The Forum > Article Comments > Howard's WorkChoices is allowing us to reap the China boom > Comments

Howard's WorkChoices is allowing us to reap the China boom : Comments

By Henry Thornton, published 1/5/2007

Howard and Costello must gird their loins for a tough fight and sell the manifest benefits of their WorkChoices legislation.

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First thing I would like to ask is why is unionism so bad. Who should influence us? Democratically elected unions or Faceless transnational corporations scouring the world in search of prey? My choice is clear.
The vast majority of our grain from the Chinese boom is from the same old "dig it and flog and damm all that stand in the way". We prostitute ourselves in the process, even a visit from the noble prize winner, the much loved Dali Lama is ignored because it might unset the Chinese.
The evidence shows no relationship between money and happiness beyond essentials but we continue to disadvantage the disadvantaged with this vicious no choices legislation
Posted by Whispering Ted, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 9:40:26 AM
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What a load of old tat.
Just the usual rabid right union bashing rubbish.
Posted by alanpoi, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 9:55:52 AM
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The writing is on the wall for the union bosses. An article in todays Sydney Morning Herald underscores the "safe" bailout for many high profile union leaders by the ALP.

Australian workers are rejecting what the unions have to offer as evidenced by the continuous fall in union membership. Combet, Shorten, et al are scratching to find a safe place to hide before the collapse of their house of cards. And true to form the ALP provides a safe haven for all union bosses. Bring them in from the trenches where they are increasingly not needed and parachute them into a position where they can inflict their economically misguided policies and strategies with the force of law rather than a secret ballot.
Posted by Bruce, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 10:32:04 AM
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Now "Henry Thornton" as an economist you know that 52% of Australian GDP is generated by domestic consumption. You also know that most workers receive less pay under AWAs than under collective bargaining. You also know that people on low incomes spend all their money or more than they earn. You also know that the median Australian adult income is $26,000 their income so that when we reduce workers incomes we are going to reduce their disposable income thus threatening the 52% of GDP generated through domestic consumption.

As you said, there are no reliable figures on unemployment, underemployment and employment and the government hasn't released figures on AWAs but the unions have, so in the absence of authoritative figures I will use personal observation.

Henry, do you care to comment on the parcel of goods used to calculate the current CPI?

The China boom has a negative impact on workers on the eastern seaboard because it is keeping the Australian dollar high to make it cheaper to import goods and harder to sell domestically produced goods. Thus workers wages are forced down further.
Posted by billie, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 11:32:08 AM
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I hope Howard and Costello do fight very hard to convince the electors about the merits of workchoices.
I sincerely hope that the BHP, Quantas, Peter Hendy and Helen Rideout kick in with an expensive media campaign.
You must understand the Govt's plan was to slip this draconian 19th Century legislation under the punters gaurd.
The worst effects of it have been quarantined to kick in after the 2007 election.
The ACTU television ads have kept it alive. The $55M Govt. ads really kicked it along.
The Govt and Bizzness are now between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Dammed if they talk about it and dammed if they dont.
Posted by hedgehog, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 2:38:10 PM
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Happy May Day comrades!
Posted by Admiral von Schneider, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 8:26:05 PM
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The faceless people writing for a dead guy crack me up.

This is a spin by some wealthy squibs trying to convince people to accept poorer conditions so that they can get richer, at workers expense.

Howard has a mean and tricky streak and his record as money manager is pretty sad - woeful actually.

During the Fraser-Howard years in the early 1980s wages were growing by 14 per cent a year, inflation and unemployment exceeded 10 per cent and 90-day bank bill rates hit an Australian record of 22 per cent.

Are the faceless moguls behind the IR scene a little worried that Labor might do a Howard trick and turn the tables on them.

How dare China is held up as an example. 32 chinese steelmill workers were killed when a pot of molten steel, 1500 Degrees, was poured onto thier meeting room. This was caused by poor and dangerous workplace management. ABConline. Workplace accidents have increased 50 percent in the last 12 months. Chinese coalminers have a horrendus death toll.

The IR laws are designed to make Australian workers prepared to accept wages and conditions of nations such as China. At the moment some people might be ok but if there is a downturn these laws are designed to strip away workers rights, safety and humanity - so the wealthy can prosper. Already people are threatened with the sack if they complain about unsafe workpractices.
Posted by Aka, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 12:50:34 AM
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So the removal of a 12 month old IR policy that has thus far had zero positive effect on productivity or employment (employment growth since WC has almost all been in QLD and WA where all the resources are with very little elsewhere - if it were thanks to WC it should be more evenly spread) will be "disasterous"?.

Give me a break.

Is it my imagination or were we already booming just as strongly for years under the old system?

This is just the desperate spin of people desperate to hold onto their newly granted power to drain workers pockets back into their own.
Posted by Fozz, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 5:58:03 AM
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The theory that a room with every one who works for a firm inside discussing why the place is going broke may well find the person who sweeps the floor has the answer is proved here.
This bloke is unaware of the impact of workchoices.
Social and economic.
China is buying from the world and will continue to.
This is blind rubbish.
How can a kid making your take away on Sunday without penalty rates be asked to thank China for it?
How can those new employees of a known home wares trader be paid so very much less to work than those already working there?
And the union bosses power?
Heard of all those who power business and this conservative government who are much more powerful?
And nothing less than unions?
Just a note to Paul Keating.
France has a special on old clocks, leave now mate!
Posted by Belly, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 6:13:20 AM
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A visit to the ABS website testifies real unemployment is massive, a visit under bridges and industrial alley ways in any Australian capital city testifies the ranks of the homeless have grown under Howard. Federal expenditure on private schools testify that most families who send their kids to private school cannot really afford it. Child care and aged care increasingly become out of affordable reach for Australians. Howards great economy should be taken with a pinch of salt , this golden economic era is as just as bogus as the children overboard , WMD's, AWB convolution ,terrorist assylum seekers and the work 'choices?' and 'clean?' nuclear power we had to have.
Posted by West, Monday, 7 May 2007 11:09:07 AM
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What can one expect from a visionless, souless hobgoblin with a heart like a dried up buffalo turd and a voice like a fish wife. My apologies to fish wives. Not much.
Posted by Whispering Ted, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 7:35:26 AM
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I address Belly who hit upon a couple of points. Firstly Belly is right, China does not make everything and everything China makes is not by sweat shop labour. The logic of exploiting Australians to compete with China is ridiculous. On one hand the shop keeper is buying cheaper goods from China. On what premise must the shop keeper lower pay and conditions since the shop keeper has already made savings? The farmer who buys his equiptment from China has already pocketed the savings, so there is no negative impact on domestic wheat prices and so flour , then buns , so why must a kid subsidise a fastfood shop employer through wages and conditions to compete (often in a non-competative market)?

Secondly trade unions are just unions of people origionally formed to look out for the interests of the members who form them. Trade unions have been a part of society for hundreds of years. Political parties are fundamentally trade unions unions , protestant churches are types of trade unions. The Employers Federation and Chamber of Commerce are certainly trade unions yet the Howard government panders soley to the interests of those unions.

The irony is Howard claims he has crushed the unions although he has never given a rational explaniation of why they should be destroyed.Yes unions can be tyrannical, they are democracies and democracy is often tyrannical, the tyranny of the mob. Business and employer unions are certainly tyranical to some of their own members as well. Howard has been mute to the woes of those members. Howard cannot claim he has destroyed the unions until he destroys the employer and business trades as well.

I dont agree with unions of any ilke being in bed with any Government but Howard should really take note that his government is in bed with unions. Just because they are white collar unions does not make them non-unions and does not make Howards unjustifiable position justified, it is hypocracy.
Posted by West, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 10:49:18 AM
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