Des Moore's argument is undermined by the Cowra abbatoir worker's case. Employees with up to twenty years service lost their jobs and had to reapply for them under an AWA that would have left them $100-$180 per week worse off. Where is there any justification in that except that the employer just wanted a bigger slice of the pie and that Cowra, like most regional centres, is an area where it is not a job-seekers market. There are and will be many similar cases.

The philosophy behind the legislation is to leave employees relatively powerless except where they are in a location where their profession is in high demand. The benefits of decades of protection for workers through an independent commission and a recognition of union right to collective bargaining is lost. It's only a matter of time before most employees feel the effects.

Looking at the responses on this thread, it is not hard to work out why the Feds are having trouble selling WorkChoices....

I'd call it the Leyland P76 of Australian legislation, except that there are (a few) people who reckon the P76 was a good car.

WorkChoices is a dog.

At least Leyland managed to sell a few P76s.

Even after spending nearly $500 Million on advertising and setting up the new bodies they cannot sell this dud legislation to anyone.

I live in a far different world than the author, yet I am a trade union official.
And one fully aware some reform was needed.
Can it be our author thinks all bosses have halos? that none have so badly used this monster we call workchoices that its nothing less than a crime?
Kim Beazley in his speach, I was only 20 feet away, spoke on behalf of every one who works in Australia not just unionists.
Kim has an understanding of pre workchoices AWAs and the 20 alowable matters.
And the five in the post workchoices act.
He understands the difference between those highly paid ones and the imposed ones post workchoices.
He understands the common law contract will replace AWAs under his goverment, but without the shamefull trade off in holidays and other much needed protections.
Workchoices is wrongly painted as pro small busness yet calls for protection come daily to unions, not from members alone but from small busness owners under threat by firms already begineing a race to the bottom, an unwinable race to use wages cuts to win work.
that will end with lower rates lower wages and lower work standards.

Des is like most of the critics of anyone who opposes this Govt, most of them have never done a hard days work in there lives,and I dont mean sitting in an office pushing a pen

Please check out my previous responses to everything the evil Des Moore prints. This man is as nasty as they come.
The drivel that he has just written exposes him for the neo-con he is.
Des Moore is the true face of your Howard and Costellos.
I will give him credit for that.
He has been waging Jihad against workers for decades along with his beloved HR Nicholls society.
Make no mistake Howard and Costello are his fellow travellers,they are just smarter than him and hide thier views and lack of morals.