When Australian industry was growing in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s the CEO wage was not as great as it is today when compared to wages of the worker on the shop floor.

Australian industry isn't growing, in fact most sectors of the Australian economy are shrinking. So it begs the question why should Sol Trujillo be paid such enormous salary to head an organisation that is no longer world class, is losing value for its share holders, fighting with the major shareholder and alienating its customer base and shifting jobs from skilled Australians with kids, mortgages and school fees to pay to graduates in India.

And the reason why IT jobs are under the gun is because it was an un-unionised workforce and many small minds resented the salaries paid to IT workers. When the ATO shifted operations to India they were shocked to find their new programmers wouldn't work overnight to fix things - the fix could go in the next update in 3 months if the correct procedure was followed. Am reminded of the retiring Commonwealth Bank chief who said IT was a waste of money - if the CBA loses its computer systems for 48 hours its out of business and so are all its customers.

The globalisation of IT jobs isn't restricted to Australia. In the 1960's the programmers at NASA were white. by 1996 most workers in Silicon Valley were Chinese and
[reputedly] in Redmond, Washington [Microsoft] they were Indian. I met the 1960s programmers panhandling on Pier 21 in San Francisco.

Realist,
Also not wishing to antagonise, I understand your view, and I do support a higher rate of pay for undertaking more responsibility. I support a C.E.O being paid 10X an ordinary employee. What I find unfair is 63X. It is not jealousy, I do not have the strive to make it to a C.E.O's position, nor the education, however in any job I have ever held, I have always done my best, and have recieved my award wage for doing so, which I consider a fair day's work, for a fair day's pay.

I therefore am not, and never will work from a position of jealousy. I am content with my lot. I do however remember the time when C.E.O's were General Managers, they worked globally in the 70's, the company I worked for employed a General Manager who recieved $100,000 p.a., when I recieved $18,000p.a. I didn't have a problem with that, nor do I today. The GM had overseas trips, I was fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with my family, I consider myself lucky.

He was well rewarded for his ability, as he should have been, he was on less than 6X my wage, but had expenses thrown in and a company car. I do not begrudge anyone this remuneration. They have more education, more skills and they deserve what they were paid. The injustice for me appears in the form of hypocrisy, whereby these days a C.E.O. can lose a business $millions, then get kicked out, with a multi-million dollar settlement, and take up another job within weeks, again on $ millions p.a., it seems to many of us that they sack a thousand workers and then go for a personnel pay rise themselves, which in my eyes is sheer hypocrisy.

Perhaps we may agree to disagree, I am simply expressing my opinion.

Regards, Shaun

Good Point Shonga,

I can see your view. its good to discuss things without punches being thrown.

Have a good day.

By the way, education is a cornerstone, but if you are a powerful person you can get around it. i am sure you could.

Regards

Not much I can see us doing about ceo pays but how can Australians just take this Howard distruction of all workers rights?
Can we really think lowering the liveing standards of those already behind most of us is good?
If world trade demands the makeing of more working poor I question if its the way.
Apathy I could write much more about our apathy but I just can not be bothered.