I don't know about a recession, but I do know that we are headed towards a very dark place that is being openly engineered by by the Left while the majority have their heads in the sand, just like the wackos of our political class. Of course, many of those wackos are part of the Left, and we are paying them to do us over.

Interesting subject
, and good day, not sure I was a union official last time we spoke, no longer in the work force but still interested and active in such fields, we will never share every opinion but yes I think we should be deeply concerned,small business and others such as farmers are victims of our debt and focus on wealth, any case a middle path is the one to follow?

rache, I can take you to suburbs in Sydney where you would quickly become scared to go alone, or just a couple of ladies would be mad to go. What do you call a no go zone?

On casualization, we can blame union bosses, but not the rank & file. It is those bosses who pushed for & got the unfair dismissal laws. We can also blame the tribunals, because of the way they have interpreted & apply those laws.

We are all a product of our experience & history. When you know personally a couple of people who were good genuine owners or managers, who have been ripped off by this law, you become very careful to protect your company or yourself.

I know it makes it very hard for casuals in many ways, material like home loans & emotionally with security, but when you find you have to increasingly get rid of people you thought would be good employees during a 3 month trial, it makes you extra careful.

I have always believed in growing your own where possible. A couple of my best skippers started as deckhands, gained their qualifications & became skippers. My best ever sales manager started as a junior storeman, but it is much harder to work that way today, when a single mistake in judgement of an applicant can cost far too much.

It is a pity it has come to this, but I can't see a way out of it now. I think we are stuck with it.

Found your latest contribution interesting Hasbeen, as a rural union official,now finished work, your view of casualization is a little wedged,yes in construction at least, high wage rises, demanded by unions, pushed casuals in to once full time jobs, unfair dismissals? well only some unions used that, over used it in fact, round the rural sites the boss, often, asked, yes asked, union advice on this issue, my continuing mateship with members and most bosses, shows it is not a war or blood bath out there and yes often the best worker/boss came via the path you mentioned

Hasbeen,

You were never a "rural union official" were you?

Never been a union anything ttbn.

I did have an engineer on one of the boats who was a member of the seaman's union, but that never effected anything.