Robbo, I think it will be a mixed bag with regards to wages going up or down.

I suspect that people with low levels of education, and skill sets that are not highly in demand, will find their wages and conditions eroded with every job change. I cannot in any way see that a person with a year-ten level education, or someone that struggles with English, or a person looking for a job in a clothes shop, of which there are a "dime a dozen" would be able to negotiate higher wages and/or conditions than currently exist.

However, people who are confident, understand legaistic language, who know what they are worth, and who are trained in industries where there this a shortage, are likely to benefit.

So basically, those who already do quite well out of the current system with a mix of AWAs and Collective agreements, will continue to do well, but those who struggle I believe will struggle even further.

Robbo, I think that wages will fall and working conditions will decline. I think these IR reforms will be coupled with a further dismantling of the social welfare and universal health care system Australia has enjoyed for the last 30 years.

For 30 years I worked in IT where there was no unions and no overtime. 70 hour weeks were unpleasant and common but we worked a minimum of 50 hours a week, sometimes we were well paid but sometimes we weren't.

Now the jobs have gone to India and I have to wait until I am old enough to access my super so I have been doing casual jobs.

The employee is presented with an abbreviated AWA that may not contain the clauses that relate to their working conditions eg casual worker not told of minimum call out time.

Super choice is administratively too difficult for small employers to comply with and I think they select employees who go with the flow.

I think that salesmen will always be able to negotiate but technical and manufacturing people will be screwed.