Elida, labourers on mining sites earn more than my middle-aged professional husband, and they get a lot more time off.
it's not just the working class that have to 'feed their families', nor is it just the working class who are tyrannised by the demands of work.
self-employed people work almost literally 24 hours in the day, no overtime or sick leave for them!
i was really left wing until we went into business for ourselves.
all the armchair experts really don't know how difficult small business is.

Arm chair people do not know? self interest, if you find a horse called that back it it runs the hardest.
Workers have not way to sell a job no way to work for future gain other than by hard work, they may well contribute to your *small busness* more than you do.
Do not ever devalue that fact workers are not the enemy.
Now let me tell you this storey writen on returning from a union tour and finding my flag torn and burnt.
Its a quote from a letter I wrote to the press.
Life has many lessons if we care to learn from our mistakes.
Workchoices concerns me it in time will be proved a needless mistake divisive and unfair.
I fly the southern cross flag on my home, it reminds me of that cross above my head and the young kid 7 years of age who watched miners tied under a tree in the heat at eureka stockade, he formed my trade union.
Its the workers flag Australias rebel flag, not diversive not anything other than that,those who damaged my flag are wrong but will they learn from it?
Workers united are still Australians nothing less

In regards to daggart's post 13th May, Local workers sacked and Chinese guest workers stay, when there was a down turn in the industry. The employer 'sponsors' the guest worker, guarantees him/her work for next two years. After two years the guest worker may apply for citizenship, qualify for unemployment benefit etc. Something that an Australian worker already qualifys for the right to apply for Centerlink benefits. If the employer has no work for the guest worker, he still has to pay, or keep the guest worker fed & housed until such a time the employer can find alternate work for the guest worker, or re-enstate him/her to be gainfully employed in the establishment he/she originally started.

floatinglili(http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=4452#42045) and others who talk of the hard life of people running small business:

When I grew up in the 60's and 70's, it was possible for ordinary people to run their own businesses, and do their own book-keeping in a few hours, without having to work late into the night or on weekends, or to effectively employ an accountant as a business partner.

I know a number of people who used to run small businesses who have simply given up as a result of John Howard's GST (remember the new tax that was going to, once and for all, simplify our taxation system?)

If, after nearly three decades of neo-liberal economic, so-called 'reform', it is necessary for self-employed people to work 'literally 24 hours in the day', can't you see that the economists, who claim that we are enjoying unparalleled prosperity, are not giving us the full picture?

The idiots who are running this country are making everyone work harder and harder for a quality of life that is, in fact, declining (as I have described here: http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=3737#12173).

Thanks, ELIDA, for that information. In a way, it is good that the legislation gives those workers that small amount of protection, but we should first insist that all unemployed Australians are offered work at decent rates of pay and with decent conditions before any employer is allowed to recruit from overseas.

Hello Floatinglili, Your husband is welcome to go and work in the mines they are screaming for workers. I dont think people like you understand what is at stake here. It does not matter if your a labourer a retail assistant or a senior manager your wages over time will fall, it starts at the bottom and works it way up.

You talk about small business and yet you fail to mention all the red tape and greif Howard has caused you. I have no doubt I will open my own business one day. Lets not forget you chose to open a business and the benefits could be great.

Am I right to say your a Howard voter? Because most are selfish people who only care about interest rates and have few morals.
Or if not just are ignorant.

Maybe if you had less red tape you would have more time to actually know what is going on with this Government. Good luck

Small busness is not evil I ran one for a time and paid 40% over award, costs in fact broke me, but every one execpt me got every cent owed.
Unions exist only for rights of workers who always and even now often work for that other type of small busness owners, the bad bosses.
I ask every pro union pro ALP person to remember activism built unions and the party and it can save both.
Those not prepared to work to remove workchoices have no right to draw workers wages or ALP wages.
The breifest of web surfing will find much information to put on your lunch room tables why wait for others to do it?