There is plenty of sting for the workers in this so called Productivity Commission interim report. The real reason for this interim report being released now is to gauge reaction and test the waters for Abbott's new version of Howard's old killer Work Choices.

Professor John Buchanan, a workplace researcher from the University of Sydney business school, said the proposed individual enterprise agreements were like a later model of WorkChoices introduced by the Howard government, which included a no-disadvantage test.
"The final swag of recommendations have a very strong WorkChoices flavour of tilting bargaining power towards employers," Professor Buchanan said.
"The proposal that strike action can be terminated if it does 'significant economic harm to the employer alone' betrays either naivety or bias of the highest order. That is the primary reason why strikes are undertaken.
"While the commission advocates 'repairing not replacing' our current system the effects of its proposed changes would profoundly shift power in it. This would be achieved by weakening the independent standing of the Fair Work Commission as a body comprised of thoughtful practitioners and a major erosion of unions' ability to act effectively in the labour market." from the SMH today.

ttbn, if as you say Sundays are just another (working) day why are you not advocating the abolition of all penalty rates including those paid to essential service employees coppers, nurses, ambos, firey's etc add to that public transport workers etc. Why are these people entitled to more and low paid workers are not? After all their basic rates are well above shop assistants and hospitality workers.

All Industrial-Relations laws and regulations, including minimum-wage and penalty-rates, should be repealed in favour of a uniform, unconditional and straight-forward negative-income-tax that is based on income (or the lack of it) rather than on work (or the lack of it).

While no one should go hungry, it is not the duty of those deemed "employers" to care for the needs of those deemed "employees". Just because two people happen to make a contract between them does not make the one responsible for the welfare of the other!

Well said Yuyutsu, you see so many workers today take their jobs for granted and think it's their given right to have a well paid job. What they don't take into consideration is that in order to have that job, someone has to take a risk, and this is amplified with small businesses as to secure a commercial lease these days usually involves personal guarantees meaning that your assets are on the line.

However, with the likes of retail and hospitality, it's the consumers that hold the balance of power as they talk with their wallets and, if they deem that $8 is too expensive orr a single egg, then they stop buying that egg.

As for wages increasing 7% in ten years, pull the other one Aussieboy. Any increase in super is an increase in wages that also has to be taken into the mix. Or has the opinion changed that super was in lue of wage increases?

While I accept that an 80% increase in profits is a bit rich, the reality is many today in small businesses are actually working for less now than they did ten years ago and they have so much unpaid crap to deal with as well.

As for Sundays being just another day, I'm guessing that was meant to relate to retail and hospitality as consumers have made these busy days through the adjustments in their lifestyles.

I say penalty rates should remain for essential services.

But, as I keep saying over and over again, wages are simply a cost of doing business and must be paid with profits and, if the profits get eaten away even further, and given that food costs can not be cut any more than they have, either the landlords and service providers are going to have to give some ground, or the staff, but either way if things continue as they are these industries are going to suffer big time.

If you don't believe me, just keep pushing and see where it gets us.

Where it will get us is revolution
At the moment the poor have been bleed dry
in rough figures say this equates to 5% population
Now the next 5% better be warned you are already being targeted
This will continue to grow
The Rich must feed off the Poor to survive
Rich will get richer Poor get Poorer
This is Developing as we speak
what the Magic % is I don't know 25-50% ?
But I do know unless we stand up to the stupidity of "fiscal growth"
And start putting a human component into calculations we are doomed
Currently we are writing off a generation of young People,it is happening today right now
We can only save ourselves not america not china they have their own interests at stake we don't even rate on the CARE meter, But Greedy People will continue to sell us out short term gain long term pain. So fall into the trap of putting another nail in the coffin. A lot of you guy's are way better educated then I am no argument, But education does not equate to smart or honest.
Why not put all your incredible brain power to solutions not patchs to a dying way of life

Revolution in Australia, Aussieboy?

No problem mate, but first you need certification, a complying insurance and to satisfy all health-and-safety requirements before you can register to become a revolutioner...

If your aim is to stop the poor from becoming poorer, then look no further - negative income tax is the solution, industrial laws are the wrong tool and are neither effective nor moral!

Aussieboy I'm not sure what the min wage has increased by in the past five years, but there have been quite a few 3-4% increases as well as increases in super. So if employees get their increases, why don't employers deserve their increases as well, in fact, the employers increases should be greater because they're the ones who are taking the risks.

As for the rich getting richer, they don't get richer by doing nothing in most cases, whereas many of the poor are poor because they choose to be, an example being not wanting to work too much for fear of loosing tax payer funded hand outs.

At 55 myself I'm still quite capable of working 70+ hours per week, And I do, so if I am rich I feel I've earned the right. On the other hand one of my workers only wants three days per week because any more sees her welfare payments decrease too much and her child care costs become unaffordable, so she chooses to be poor.

But in reality you know the system is broken when one can choose to not work too hard for fear of loosing tax payer funded hand outs. So most rich people are not rich by accident or through sheer luck.