Chris, even so, skilled pay rates are also a function of general pay rates. My family in Fiji where minimum wages have stagnated at less than $2.50F/hr for years. Only the most skilled can command $10F/hr. Until 2016 anti-union decrees forbid unions from seeking wage increases, which was very much driven by the big resort operators. The gap between low and high incomes is not because through some magic high income earners receive more dollars, its the fact low income earners receive less dollars. I bet when 3 weeks holiday was the norm, Shadow would have been on the same 3 weeks. When unions won 4 weeks annual leave and 17.5% loading Shadow then received that benefit.

Back in the day, I worked for a large industrial corporation, where union membership was strong, even draughtsmen and engineers were union members. The unions through the Works Committee negotiated a very good retrenchment deal, second only to the oil industry. When redundancies came, the union members were protected by the retrenchment agreement, not so the office staff. When news got out that the office staff would only be paid minimum entitlements, wow, the mostly anti union office types suddenly wanted to join up and become raving reds with a retrenchment agreement. Sad to say, some were not covered as they had been informed of their termination prior, so got the minimum. In some cases of long service it was many thousands of dollars.

I (shadowminister) haven't had to apply for a job for decades because I get head hunted and the last time put my name out on Seek when a contract was coming to an end, I was offered a job within 2 hours.

I am presently halfway through a 4 yr overseas contract to help turn a company around and they have started posting profits of $20m p.a.

I'm smart and work hard, and I owe my success to no one and especially no dumb arse union thugs.

Given your mendacious history I view it with some scepticism.

Anybody who profiteers from the WuFlu pandemic is a low-life scumbag and should be named and shamed.

Anybody got any examples they would like to tell us about or know of any low-life scumbags they would like to name and shame?

Misopinionated,

Yes, some try to profit from this pandemic in a racist way by blaming all Chinese people, indeed all Asian people, for the sins of the Chinese totalitarian regime.

So what's your name ?

Joe Foulmouth

Dear shadyminister,

I think you are smart given that you have 3 vocational degrees BSc(Eng) BCom MBA.

It's a shame you never did an Arts degree so that you could claim to be educated in addition to being smart.

I guess when you are making lots of money using your vocational training you just don't have any time or need to be seen as educated as well as smart.

Don't worry there are always people like me to fill the ranks of the educated.

FOULmouth,

It's Mr Opinion spelled backwards.

I thought you would have worked it out by now.

I take it you don't believe the WuFlu virus originated in China. You and Andrew Forrest should get together and compare notes. Obviously you have friends in the same places.