Belly, you and I do think alongnthe same lines at times.

I to think we need to pay more for better pollies, after all, if a lawyer/barrister turned pollie earns say, $300K and a practicing one earns $1M in a year, who is likely to be the smarter one.

Wages.
There should be a safety net, yes, but enough to support a living, not a lifestyle. Then, if one is good at their job and earns bonuses, then the lifestyle kicks in.

The problem we have is the way IR is structured, enthusiastic workers often go unrewarded because the bosses hands are tied. Pay a bonus to a good worker, and the poorer one crys foul, and wins!

579.
There is a basic standard of living and a lifestyle.

Now take away the foxtel, the new couch, plasma, then there's the pokies, cigs and grog ( if applicable) the car or two, the average rental house or share acc and you are somewhere near a basic living.

Now I have no problem with a basic wage supporting this, but not a lifestyle.

Hope this clarifies my position.

Floor sweepers.
Now if one is willing and able to clean twice as much area as another, then they deserve to be paid accordingly.

As I say, good wages should be as a result of either skills and or hard work.

Hourly rates create a situation whereby one gets paid for the time it takes to do the job, not for the amoun of work they do.

Tallies are a great idear, but try to introduce them and see how many hoops an employer has to jump through.

Union members and thier reps have a field day with hi type of arrangement, however I must commend belly for his thoughts on productivity.

Belly & rehctub,
I"m afraid I don't subscribe to pay more get more when it comes to people. My experience showed me that what is so desperately needed is integrity & integrity can't be bought period !
It's been the scenario in communityes (Qld) ever since Goss dismantled the Dept. of Community Services. Way more money is handed to way more incompetent bureaucrats to make way more mindless decisions which way more stifle progress & building better communities. Since we have higher paid bureaucrats we have gone from a slight upward gradient to a greased downslide. We'll really need to take a serious closer look at ourselves if we are silly enough to believe that more money will provide more integrity. This is about as much as people can be having themselves on.

This thread had other directions, I will try to start one to talk about this issue now.
I only ask one thing, understanding.
An understanding of the hard yards a union official must put in IF HE/SHE believes in that job.
And that apart from the bitter rubbish, uninformed bigotry we live with.
Some unions some officials, won as many mates on the other side of the table!
Not by selling out members
But by truly understanding both sides of the debate.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/investors-feel-the-pain-while-bosses-enjoy-the-gains-20111007-1ldjg.html
This link should do it.
For those who bother to read it.
It should prove forever we indeed are a weird mob!
It highlights wages of those we employ.
Yes we do! to run our superannuation our very future the money we want to live on.
One single CEO, is paid as much, as the full Cabernet! and including the shadow Cabinet!
And some, rule over losses that are awful.
So tell me, show me the outrage/distrust/defamation we reserve for our politicians here on these fat cats.