rehctub you under value what Rudd has done.
And just maybe do not understand it takes time to change every thing.
You give to much value to union power, a word so often used by so many who talk of different times.
Our current boom may not, will not last, hard to believe? watch this space.
But understand AWA was not the only form of workplace agreements and that some very big players sit down to talk agreements.
It is negotiations not threats that settle outcomes and both sides have wins and loss it is the nature of agreements.
In 2 years maybe a bit more this country will have one IR system.
Not one imposed by north shore private school boys who never worked in their lives.
Who have bank balances that say they never will have to.
Who never had to sit down and say to the wife do we buy milk or bread with the last money till pay day.
Unions are from the very left right and center I from the Labor right know I will not get my wishes but understand it will be better for this country.
If you could just share a week at work with me, just one week, some bad workers would startle you , seemingly unable to keep out of trouble.
But you would be horrified, good men are, by some bad bosses, do you know some sack workers because the wife doesn't like their wife?
Have you seen a boss in a car worth a mint not pay overtime?
Or superannuation?
I go to a ham fest now on the way down I will drive past a team working on Sunday for no overtime in the rain, they can not be helped yet, they signed AWA and are not unionists.

Most problems are created when an originally service orientated organisation is infiltrated by accountants, unions & selfish bureaucrats. Rather than focus on the task the focus is on conditions & how to best exploit them. Just look at health, education, law & enforcement, defence etc. I spoke with a nurse two days ago who gets $3000,00 a week because her department has mismanaged so badly over the years & now they're paying whatever it takes to cover this incompetence by bringing in mercenary health staff. Look at the money that's blown just to get incompetent teachers in so the department can say "look how much we're spending in remote communities". If you people in the south could only see when the navy or customs go shopping for a few days at sea you'd refuse to pay tax ever again. The excuse is that "we have to pay otherwise we can't get people to do the job". Crap, utter crap. The brain drain is yet another example. let them go & flood the market overseas & then see how much their skills are worth. The public service is not a service, it's a career bludgers training camp & decent folk suffer because of it. Make a point of looking up the conditions for public servants' it'll change the way you vote.