I am actually surprised at how much exploitation workers put up with before they strike. When I look at the appalling wages of minimum income workers and the high incomes of the management it amazes me that workers do not rebel more readily.

History has shown that the wealthy know almost no limit to the degree which they are prepared to exploit the workers nor the degree to which they are prepared to indulge themselves, eg building the Palace of Versailles while millions of peasants had not enough to eat, deciding St Petersburg should be built on a swamp, etc.

I don’t know why the wealthy don’t just recognise that workers have legitimate needs for a reasonable standards of living and safety, provide them and then there would be no danger of strikes. But it seems that looking after the dividends is more important than looking after the people who actually do the work.

And bad timing with the OH&S spruik – the finding of nil liability at Beaconsfield nails that one shut.

Tapp you find new ways to be offensive, the miss use of Anzac day to slander a political party be littles you a person who says he has served our country.
Another deliberate lurch away from the thread to promote you party shame mate shame.
As a trade unionist I have an understanding that workchoices and this government is the enemy we must defeat this year, no other way exists to a fair go at work

The trade union movement MUST have the right to strike returned and MUST use that right with due care.
Not as a promotion for a union not as a political tool.
But wise unionists MUST not use that right needlessly.
Right now in the midst of a fight that will enter union history some unions trained only to fight are letting members down by not showing up in the workplace for many months.
It will take generations to re build trust in some workers who are expressing anti union views because of this.
Solidarity never was needed more than now.

Rob asks:

"I don’t know why the wealthy don’t just recognise that workers have legitimate needs for a reasonable standards of living and safety"

Hmmmmmm... BD puts his thinking cap on..and AHAH! I see it!

Romans 3:9

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better[b]? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."

UNIONSISTs MUNDY and the BLF were shown to have a dark side in posts above. (strikes during concrete pours? I'd call that WAR)
CORPORATE giants were shown to be greedy and exploitative by others.

So, we have the dark workers and the demented bosses. Hmmm where do we fit in? why of course, we are the squeaky clean do gooders right? :) If only WE were in charge.. running things.. yep.. all would be well.

THE PROBLEM
...is not with the legislation. That would never cover all possibilities, just as the Jewish traditions and religious law tried to but failed.
No..the problem is with us. We are fallen, flawed and feeble. Morality is something we respect as long as it serves our interests.

Eph 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world."

Yep....thats us alright.

THE SOLUTION.

Eph 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

GRACE....not LAW

Outlawing pattern bargaining strikes is unreasonable and a denial of the human right to strike.
Single employer enterprise bargaining by Howard is obsessively legally enforced. There is no sector in the Australian labour market or bargaining system in the OECD which fits the fictitious model of ‘genuine’ enterprise bargaining – all bargaining systems contain elements of pattern-setting and workplace bargaining.
Over 100 years unions had the choice of industry, sector, pattern and enterprise bargaining campaigns around awards or agreements. Legitimate industrial action in reserve was tolerated. Pattern or industry bargaining was widely accepted as pragmatic and chosen by many industrial parties.
WorkChoices specifically makes pattern bargaining, ‘seeking common wages and conditions’ across a number of employers, unlawful. This is one of the worst labour law regimes in the world. Even the US does not make pattern bargaining unlawful.
The ILO (1998). criticised Australia because industrial parties should not be denied how they bargain and at what level. ‘Provisions which prohibit strikes if they are concerned with the issue of whether a collective employment contract will bind more than one employer are contrary to the principles of freedom of association on the right to strike’.
In the building and manufacturing industries with a 150-year industry history, outlawing union pattern or industry bargaining flies in the face of industrial relations reality. Building and manufacturing industry bargaining contributed more to productivity than enterprise or individual bargaining. This applies to other sectors.
Employers in trade, industry and national associations act together bargaining for their common interests. Many employers impose ‘pattern bargaining’ with standard individual contracts applied across the workforce.
Workers in national industry unions to be effective combine with other workers for common industry agendas. This is why workers want strong unions. Outlawing pattern bargaining strikes undermines union industry campaigns. Employers should not have this legal anti-union weapon. Unions should have freedom of association.
A modern recognition of globalisation is to allow collecting bargaining agreements with the global corporations across countries, on the ILO right to strike.
An ALP Rudd/Gillard government should not ban pattern bargaining strikes. References available whitecd@velocitynet.com.au

What I don't understand is what Tristan is still doing in the ALP. Yeah, you preferentially vote ALP, because at least they're not complete psychopaths. But putting your good name to such a band of disgusting little hypocrites? Why?

There will always be a danger of strikes due to the fact that Unions must be constantly fed and that requires a worker not surviving in a workers paradise, and it is so easy to vilify the unseen corporate entity. There will always be safety issues in industry, especially high risk work like foundry work and mining. The difficult part is balancing wages with employment numbers and getting the resource to market at a profit and a usable benefit to the end user so that they too can manufacture their product and get it to market and make a profit to continue or expand the cycle that is in broad terms "industry".
The mechanization of much of industry is something of a double edged sword. On one hand it promotes a safer workplace by using mechanical units to do the hard work and on the other, fewer workers are then required, resulting in job loss. It also changes the power dynamics between the corporations and the unions, and the relationship between the shirts and the sweats. New working agreements are necessary as are new ways of viewing the "manufactured" adversarial proponent of employment negotiations. The times and industry have changed and will continue to thanks to innovation or, um, industry.
Change does. :-)