John Howard has just told Fran Kelly on Radio NAtional that there have been less strikes in Australia in the last 12 moths than at any time since 1913.

Now lawyers often say that the "Workchoices" legislation takes the Australian industrial relations landscape back to the 1890s Master Servant Act, but clearly these figures show they are right.

Wasn't 1913 also the end of a way of life? Time to go JWH!

ACTU review Workchoices from http://www.actu.asn.au/

Of all AWA individual contracts surveyed in the report:
– 100% cut at least one so called ‘protected award condition’;
– 22% provided workers with no pay rise, some for up to 5 years;
– 51% cut Overtime Loadings;
– 63% cut Penalty Rates;
– 64% cut Annual Leave Loading;
– 46% cut Public Holidays payment;
– 52% cut Shift Work Loadings;
– 40% cut Rest Breaks;
– 46% cut incentive based Payments and Bonuses;
– 48% cut Monetary Allowances (for employment expenses; skills; disabilities);
– 36% cut Declared Public Holidays; and
– 44% cut Days to be substituted for Public Holidays.

Wage rises for all full time workers falling behind inflation
• Since the new IR laws were introduced increases in total earnings for full time workers have been falling behind the rising cost of living.
• Compared to the rate of inflation total average earnings for full time adult workers have dropped by -0.6% over the past 12 months since the new IR laws came into effect.
• For full time workers in the private sector average total earnings have dropped by -1.1%.
• The drop in average earnings for women workers in the private sector is - 1.8%.
• For more than a million workers on minimum wages, the increase granted to them by the Government’s new Pay Commission saw the real value of their weekly wages fall -0.9% behind the inflation rate.

Lower pay for workers on AWAs
• Even with the higher salaries paid to many workers on AWAs in the mining industry as a result of the resources boom, ABS statistics show workers on AWAs earn an average 90 cents an hour less than workers covered by collective agreements (non?managerial workers).

Many workers on AWAs working longer hours
• ABS data released in March 2007 shows that the average weekly hours worked has increased in the past year. Other recent ABS data also shows people in full time non-managerial jobs that are on AWA individual contracts work 2.3 hours a week more than people on registered collective agreements.

Keep wingeing

if Labor and the unions were so concerned they would have taken this nation out on strike before workchoices AWA's had become legislation.

You knew it was happening and did nothing.

You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

Labor and the unions are just as responsible for this as the liberal government is.

But Labor and the unions are not to worried they are getting ready to perge NSW of public servants from the rail sector and Country link.

The end to rail passenger sevices to the Country.
Not well hidden from the workers but from the people, treat them like mushrooms.

www.tapp.org.au

"Country Gal obviously your family values money as the highest importance in life and to die rich you must devote your life to work.". West, when I originally read this, I got pretty angry with you. I've been away for a few days, and re-reading it, I just think you completely misunderstand the statements that I have made so far. I (and my family) value money, as its a requirement to live, particularly in this day and age, like it or not. But I also see that a dedication to my work, to do it properly and to the best of my ability is highly important, just as much if not more so that the money that I make out of it. I think I stated somewhere in an earlier post, that various members of my family reckoned that they worked for about $4/hour. So, obviously its not the money that motivates them! They have a strong family and community connection, with several family members receiving Citizen of the Year awards over time. They help neighbours and friends for no cost, nor any expectation of return. In fact, if the whole country were like them, we would have very few economic, social or infrastructure problems!

Yabby, you are right as usual! :) If everyone looked at the big picture, life would be so much easier. I guess perhaps I have been lucky in that most of my life I have worked for organisations that see the link in increased productivity from decent pay, flexibility and good conditions. I have never been employed under an award, even during my time as a secretary, so having to bargain my wage and conditions is nothing new. I have actually had an increase in conditions because of workchoices - I get more mandated sick leave now than I used to!

Thanks GountryGal :)

I can just imagine some entrepreneur looking at Billie's list
of lurks and perks, no mention of flexibility and innovation,
then heading off to build his factory elsewhere. Next Billie
will complain that there are not enough jobs in Melbourne.
With work attitudes like that in Melbourne, I would steer
well away from the place!

The thing is, alot of these old unionistas are bit bit like
born again, bible thumping Christians. They are the true
believers, unable to accept that the world is changing.
But we see it in the numbers. Nobody is running to the
church pews, numbers are at all time low. Nobody is running
to the unions either, numbers there are at an all time low
too.

Union leaders are making lots of noise of course, like
church leaders, their role has become less and less
significant.

Billie, I remind you that Australians overall are wealthier
then ever before. Talking of 1913 is a bit ridiculous.
Go and ask Harvey Norman about the sale of hi tech toys,
plasma screens etc, to see how the population is doing.

Fact is that the economy has changed and the world has changed.
Today we have more and more contractors etc. Where companies
used to employ people, they now contract out the work to
small bizz.

I think what will happen in future is that more and more will
simply have all the lurks and perks converted to $ per hour.
People might work for 2-3 different companies, as they are
required and depending how much they want to work.
Some want to work 20 hours, others want to work 60 hours.
We need a system which copes with all those options, not
heavy handed regulation from the top, telling people how
they should live.

People standing around on high salaries, picking their noses,
because of some award, is a waste to companies, a waste of
time and a loss to Australia. Our global economy is changing
things, but some will learn the hard way.

What this country does not need is one extreme or the other. It wont survive by punishing workers and destroying the fabric of society with current IR laws and it wouldnt survive if it returned to the union power of the 1950's and 1960's. One thing that is not on any agenda is balance. Australians were wealthier 5 years ago than they are now , it has more to do with the constraints on chinese resource purchasing that is a whole other topic. Yabby is right there has been a growth with out sourcing but I can see from experience that has probably peaked or about to peak as it has led to a number of things. Out sourcing is extremely expensive an inefficient and has led to a major decline in the quality of services in Australia. This is especially the case for many public services such as road building and welfare distribution. Many automobile associations around the country have also fallen victim to outsourcing and lower service quality. One of the major effects of the shift to out sourcing is it has created a skills shortage, not only in Australia but in many parts of the world. On the whole small business does not support the education for replacement of skills. For those with newly aquired skills there is limited entry level opportunities, the higher the skill the more experience is valued and many industries suffer a skimming of skills as many skilled workers give up and move to easier industries. There is also a growth in lower skilled small businesses such as owner operator transport or lawn mowing, dog washing or small shops ect but in such popular easy entry industries there is a saturation in the market which will lead to economic collapse for many businesses. Eventually most industries will be monopolised to a great degree by large companies wiping out small providers and replacing them with smaller number of contract indentured small businesses which is a small business in name only but operatively it is an employee.