Who’s the grinch, Australia Post or the union?

John A Neve says:

09:03am | 22/12/09

A business sells it’s good and services. A workers sell they labour. In a “free society” either should be able to withdraw what they sell at any time.

A business can put up it’s prices whenever it wants to!!  A worker has to negotiate and that’s where the problem lies.  Workers are always in a catchup mode.

Peter says:

09:05am | 22/12/09

Postmen have had safety issues for as long as there have been postmen. They don’t have to choose three days before Christmas to sort it out. If union members don’t want to be postmen then they should look for another job or go and get some better qualifications to get a better job.

Garry says:

09:11am | 22/12/09

Very good John and agreed but how much of the good will does the union and its members, the said workers, get when they distrupt during a season. A season where people will think ‘here we go another holiday season another strike’. Is it showing the plight of the union and its members no, all it is doing is saying ‘its christmas so lets strike’

The argument it hits the company’s pockets is rubbish, the ‘free deliveries until christmas’ would have given the union and members a better following and consideration from people…. now they are just another union on strike at Christmas. Baggage handlers, Air Crews and Postal workers.

June says:

09:15am | 22/12/09

There is negotiation, and there is attempting to hold a business to ransom… and in this case it seems like the latter.

I’d be interested to know if there was a final straw that caused this strike right now after months of negotiations - but the more cynical and sceptical side of me thinks the timing is fortuitous for the Union in it’s inconvenience for AustPost.

Heather says:

09:20am | 22/12/09

My ex husband has been a postie for as long as I’ve known him (20 odd years, in the ACT and Qld). He is non-union (and will therefore not be striking). He left the union 15-odd years ago when the union negotiated away job security and paternity leave for a better tearoom.

The union has no sympathy from me at all.

Anthony Bellve says:

09:33am | 22/12/09

The Unions can go to hell, this is an act of industrial Terrorism. The Unions are flexing their new found muscle thanks to Kevie and Julia’s workplace reforms. Honestly, how can a union justify striking for job security, no business can guarantee everyones job, this strike is ridiculous. I have no sympathy for anyone on strike. If you have sent a parcel or letter and it is late according to Australia Post guidelines on delivery times, sue the Union for compensation and the cost of postage. Maybe if people start holding the unions responsible for their actions, they will start planning more appropriate and responsible actions. I hope Australia Post stands up to the unions, and says, We don’t negotiate with Terrorists. Get back to work and stop holding Australia to ransom, you bludgers!

Bill says:

09:48am | 22/12/09

Does anyone have official figures on industrial action since Fair Work Australia came in? Gillard has been very quiet recently - I wonder if any journos will take this up with her before xmas (I doubt it).

Macca says:

09:57am | 22/12/09

@Anthony, I don’t think Julia and Kev Kev’s new laws are that outrageous, the process of taking Industrial Action is pretty lengthy and hardly a light matter.

The right to strike is completely legitimate, as is a company’s right to lockout employees

In saying that, The CEPU’s plug that they need to strike to bring the company back to the table is good ol’ fashioned left rhetoric.

A better idea for the union would to actually list their demands in the media, in detail, if they want to paint the company as unreasonable. Get public sentiment on side, rather than forcing your members to forego little johnny’s bike from Santa.

Losing a day’s pay before Christmas, now that is an injustice

DocBud says:

09:59am | 22/12/09

Absolutely, John A Neve, in a free society the employer should be free to withdraw jobs. I’d fire the lot of the miserable swine and open the door to private competition.

Lucas says:

10:21am | 22/12/09

Bill FWA comes in January 1.  So I don’t think there’s been any strike action, just fear campaigns.  It will be very interesting if on Jan 1 businesses grind to a halt or sack workers though.

Lach says:

10:23am | 22/12/09

Yeah its an absolute disgrace. As it stands you can fire a bloke for not rocking up to work repeatedly, but as soon as he gets his mates together to call it a ‘strike’ they are untouchable.

The government should not be allowed to interfere with employee and employers right to privately contract for labour services - yet we all stand by and let Fair Pay ram through even broader awards which infringe this very right.

John A Neve says:

10:24am | 22/12/09

In response to DocBud and others, I don’t know enough about the detail of this industrial action to offer other than an overall comment.

But I hate it when people talk about “the union” or “the government”, both groups are made up of your neighbours. Governments are elected by you,
union officials are elected by you. Your rates of pay are effected by unions whether your are a member or not.

To comment one way or the other without ALL the facts, is stupid in the extreme.

Sherlock says:

10:38am | 22/12/09

Ahhh Christmas. The time of plane, bus and postal strikes. I think it’s great. The youth of today need to learn what life is like under Labor governments. All we need now is a beer strike and it will be like Hawke and Keating all over again.

Zeta says:

10:43am | 22/12/09

There are better ways of getting employers to the bargaining table than striking. Case in point, the NSW Police Association secured a 4 per cent pay increase and protected their member’s death and disability entitlements this year without striking. They held a series of ‘Fine Free Days’, which punished the Government’s coffers instead of punishing punters the way the posties are, then they organised a whopping great protest outside Parliament House . The Government caved 48 hours out from the strike day, because they didn’t want any more bad press.

The Posties this week - and the bus drivers last week, should have taken a leaf out of that book. Make the employer pay, not the customers. Heres how I’d roll if I were a Union Heavy:

Continue delivering unstamped mail, but expand the action to express postage and large items, thus depriving Australia Post of cash during the busy Christmas season.

Target Australia Post’s corporate clients (the imperialists are all in it together anyway), don’t deliver anything to companies.

Cease franking services, this is the big one. Major corporate postage clients rely heavily on their franking services to send out bulk mail, no franking, no bulk mail.

And the big one… The Federal Government - Australia’s biggest consumer of postage products. I bet the bargaining table would become a lot more crowded once an angry Anthony Albanese calls wondering why his 9000 Ken Done Christmas cards haven’t been sent to every member of the Socialist Internationale.

There are more imaginative methods than striking. It’s the last resort of boorish, boring Union thugs. Strikes affect consumers more than their employers, and those consumers don’t get angry at the employers, they get angry at the workers.

N says:

10:46am | 22/12/09

DocBud @ 1059; I agree with you totally. Striking at Christmas time by the postal service is lowest common denominator stuff. I liken it to say the ATO striking during peak processing of tax returns, while it isn’t end of the world scenario, its extremely inconvenient.

Thank you to Australia Post for bringing in staff from other areas to get through their peak period and try to limit the effects felt by end users, in essence standing up to bullish unions.

Apparently ‘….tis the season to strike’; thanks Rudd Labour.

AFR says:

10:51am | 22/12/09

People still send letters?

Macca says:

10:57am | 22/12/09

@Lucas, the National Employment Standards and Modern Awards of the FWA act come in as of January 1, the rest of the act has been in operation since July 1, including the new rule regarding Protected Industrial Action.

Fortunately for Businesses, we’ve had that little speadhump of the GFC which has somewhat reduced the impact that any Industrial Action would have normally had. If anything, they would have done the business a favour

Just a point regarding this Strike Action, it is protected, the CEPU went through the appropriate channels and FWA approved the action.

If you are annoyed about this right to strike ladies and gentlement, maybe you should have voted for the Coalition, rather than let our Deputy from the Left write up a new set of laws.

H of SA says:

10:59am | 22/12/09

I don’t know the ins and outs of this situation but I guess when we look at industrial disputes its usually after a long time of negotiations trying to avoide this that things break down.

Experience and logic tells us that lengthy negotiations suit the employer as the employer gets either:

Keep paying “last years wages” which are slipping behind CPI as long as the negotiations keep going or;

Avoid paying for whatever it is the union wants - more staff, more security, safer workplace ect.

I imagine a Christmas strike, where it gets more attention is because the Union feels its the way to break the deadlock of ongoing negotiation which hasn’t gone anywhere for months.

Everyone knows the rules, the employer delays until you do something drastic to change it. This is par for the course.

Macca says:

11:03am | 22/12/09

@ John A Neve
“A business sells it’s good and services. A workers sell they labour. In a “free society” either should be able to withdraw what they sell at any time”.

So, no unfair dismissal laws?

“A business can put up it’s prices whenever it wants to!!  A worker has to negotiate and that’s where the problem lies.  Workers are always in a catchup mode”

So, When prices increase, as do profits, employees should get paid more?

How about not paying the employees when the company isn’t making money…

doesn’t make much sense mate, think things through before you write such drivel

Bill says:

11:13am | 22/12/09

@Macca, thanks for confirming this for me.

PS - I’ve never been able to understand why a union campaign was able to result in me having to rescind my AWA - which provided me with an option of accumulating leave where previously I had none - when it expires, but no union actually gives a f*#$ about people in my line of work.

John A Neve says:

11:26am | 22/12/09

Macca @ 1203hrs.

You seem to know a lot about “drivel”.  In case you haven’t noticed businesses drop off staff if work and profits decline.

What about unfair dismissal laws?

As to your last point, no workers = no business and no profits. So yes, the workers should benefit.

Postie supporter says:

11:36am | 22/12/09

I’m supporting the posties. They wouldn’t be on strike unless it was a last resort. From my understanding Australia Post is trying to cut down on full time permanent jobs in favour of part-time casuals. How is that good for Australia? Postal workers deserve the security to be able to pay mortgages and raise families the same as everyone else. Unfortunately sometimes workers have to fight for these things, even if it means a little inconvenience.

D'Oh! says:

12:18pm | 22/12/09

At least the posties can strike. I work in an emergency public health service. Any industrial action will compromise patient safety therefore employees are totally powerless. The government knows this and screws us mercilessly. It doesn’t matter which party is governing either.

Boofhead says:

12:23pm | 22/12/09

Can Kevin Rudd look the children in the eyes and say he has done everything in his power to make sure all the Christmas cards and presents get through????  Boo hiss unions.

Macca says:

12:24pm | 22/12/09

@John A Neve,

Ha, got a bite

under your first Philosophy, businesses should be able to withdraw their employees right to labour whenever they want.

You are right, businesses do lay off employees when profits decline; redundancies, normally paying employees the legislated amount calculated on their years of service.

Basically your ‘free society’ speech is advocating that anyone do whatever they want whenever. An employee should be ogligated to an employer the same way an employer should be obligated to an employee.

The flip side of this whole debate, and I think this is where the Union is losing some support, regardless of how reasonable their demands are, imagine if an employer locked their employees out 3 days before Christmas.

At Christmas, when an individual needs money more than ever, an employer locking out employees would be viewed as cold and heartless. Why then, when a Union asks its members to strike, during the busiest period of the year, the time when the company needs its labour more than ever, should they also not be viewed as cold and heartless.

Another word on the procedure, When a Union applies for Industrial Action, only the employees who are members of that Union may vote. If more than 50% of the union members who vote, vote in favour, then Industrial Action will occur. This then affects all employees. And for those of you who have ever crossed a picket line, it is not pleasant.

I reckon there may be quite a few unhappy posties who are losing a days pay because they are afraid of causing a rift at work with their colleagues by crossing a picket line. I’d never support Industrial Action, but I do feel for the employees a bit.

All in all, poor form from Ed Husic and Peter Tighe

monkeytypist says:

12:27pm | 22/12/09

All this stuff about posties “choosing” the wrong time is rubbish.  Under law you can only take protected industrial action during the “bargaining period” that covers the leadup to the expiry date of a current collective agreement.  For posties, this happens to be around Christmas.  This is the only opportunity that posties have to take industrial action in pursuit of a better collective agreement for the next 3 years.

Ex Postal Worker says:

12:42pm | 22/12/09

Perhaps before everyone needs to take a cold shower before they start rubbishing the workers and the union, perhaps you should get the facts:
1) The work stoppage is not about pay, its about conditions of employment;
2) Australia Post is currently being investigated by a Senate Committe for returning injured workers to work prematureley, as this affects senior managements bonuses if the ‘lost injury time’ is reduced (I know of workers who are brought back to the sites and watch TV for their entire shift so as not to be classed as on comepnsation)
3) Australia Post has reduced the full-time workers and made them part-timers and uses num,erous amounts of casuals, who wouldnt know a post-code from their elbow;
4) Do you know what the base hourly rate for Postal Worker is . . . . $18/hour;
5) Alot of the new Postal Workers are people with poor english skills, so without the union, who would look after these workers . . . certainly not Australia post management
6) The last EBA expired in 2006, the Union has been trying to negotiate a new agreement since then, thats over three years . . . . enough time you would think!
7) Australia Post was asked last weekend to sit down and talk to the union, guess what . . . they refused! . . . so much for wanting to resolve the issue.

John A Neve says:

12:50pm | 22/12/09

Macca @ 1324hrs.

I have no intention of going into “imagine if” that’s just a nonsense.

Most employers would need all their staff around Christmas, however if a business was going really bad, I have no doubt they would lay off staff.

As to your comment regarding a vote on industrial action; of course only member should vote. Non union member do not have to withdraw their labour and would still be payed. Added to which should strike action result in a pay increase, non union members would receive it.

You finnish by saying “it is not pleasant” crossing a picket line, while that might be true. It is also “not pleasant” being without an income just prior to Christmas.  Think on it when you are eating your Turkey Macca.

T.Chong says:

01:10pm | 22/12/09

For all those anti -union types sitting at their workstation , or on days off or annual leave:  a few questions
i) working a 38hr week?
ii) do you get sick leave, carers leave
iii) OH+S to protect you
iv) pay in keeping with your unbridled talents
v) maternity leave
vi) superannuation
vii) annual leave etc etc
If any answer is yes, then you have unions to thank.
If any govt brought in legislation that only those who contribute to their union recieve any benefits that their union gains for their award, union membership would be 100%.
As a union supporter I am sick of the parasites and brown noses (to their bosses) who are willing to take union benefits, while decrying the union movement.
Union above award conditions should only be those who pay.
If you dont like unions, dont belong and accept how little your employer is willing to pay.  That would be fair, wouldnt it?

No Humbug says:

01:26pm | 22/12/09

G’day T.Chong, nice list!

I’d agree, time aplenty for Australia Post to have resolved this well before now.

And you other boofheads take note:as of the latest news,  the lads are going back to work, having made their point.  It *is* Christmas - thanks, lads and good luck.

Bye now.

Paul says:

01:32pm | 22/12/09

Funny how people don’t whinge this hard when the happy co-operative union of Liberal and Labor politicians award themselves, regularly, payrises and better perks! With no link to performance.

N says:

01:59pm | 22/12/09

T.Chong; nice try mate, but sorry I’m a contractor so I pay for everything. Fortunately I’m pretty damn good at my job so don’t require a union safety net like some and get paid almost double a full time employee for this sacrafice. For me, unions = complacency and mediocrity to the loss and detriment of employers. Unions look to appraise everyone, even if they’re undeserving. Individual achievements and ambitions are sidelined by the mob mentality of “screw em for more money for all”.

How about this; increase productivity and profit for the business, then we’ll talk about increasing your take home dollars?

Drew(Darlinghurst) says:

02:15pm | 22/12/09

Again “thepunch” a News Ltd creation is attacking the UNIONS.

If it was not for UNIONS we would not have our hard fought rights.

The Business Council , Liberal Party and Co. still have not Buried

  ........“WorkChoices”

AUSTRALIA VOTED IN 2007 on I.R and we said a BIG YES to UNIONS.

It seems the Libs have not learnt their lessons.

Drew (Darlinghurst) says:

02:17pm | 22/12/09

People Bitching and Moaning at The Unions

These are the same people , who when they lose their “worker rights” are the first to ask for the Unions HELP.

LOL

Splatcat says:

02:17pm | 22/12/09

T. Chong
I have all those things and more as well as less. The union has nothing to do with my entitlements or conditions. In fact there is not a union which represents my chosen field. In fact the only time the union has been involved with my work force was during the Vietnam war. Their productive involvement was to refuse to load supplies and mail on ships which were going to re supply the diggers. So thank you to the unions who chose to punish the soldiers doing their duty to get at the govt. It seems little has changed, unions still punishing the innocent to get at the source of their discontent.  The unions can go to hell, they are more trouble then they are worth. To hell with the rest of Australia, as long as the unions get their kick back from their negotiations with the employers. I guess with all this new power the unions have got under Rudd and Gillard, we know what the pay off was for all the union members money that was spent on getting Labor elected. I doubt there was any negotiations between the union and Australia Post. It would more likely be like a terrorist negotiating with authorities. These are our demands, if they are not met, we start offing hostages, in this case instead of offing hostages we go on strike and hold all of Australia hostage.

DocBud says:

02:28pm | 22/12/09

“These are the same people , who when they lose their “worker rights” are the first to ask for the Unions HELP.”

How do you know these are the same people, Drew? I’ve never been a member of a union and never would be. My income is determined solely by what I deliver. The aim of unions, other than the primary aim of supporting the Labor Party, is to try and persuade employers to pay their members more than they are worth.

Sherlock says:

02:31pm | 22/12/09

So they’re going back to work. Perhaps it’s because their strike was ineffective. My parcel that was sent yesterday via Australia Post arrived as expected today.

T.Chong says:

02:43pm | 22/12/09

Splatcat :you stating/ implying some military service ?  Isnt the ADF out to protect and ensure our way of life, ?
Thanks for the effort you and your mates made in protecting our democratic way of life, INCLUDING the freedom of association =
voluntary unionism.
Splatcat and A Bellve :What is this linking “terrorism” with unionism ? Bit of hyperbole or a genuine fear that people working together for industrial representation somehow equals a deadly threat.
For real industrial terrorism you only have to recall the balaclavas and guard dogs deployed by Patricks in the waterfront dispute.
Ironically many of those strike breakers were ADF people, and when Patricks had no further use for them, they were dumped with diddly squat to show for it.

cats says:

02:43pm | 22/12/09

Thanks for the list T.Chong. Was thinking the same thing myself.

@ Anthony Bellve
Calm down! It’s not like your a big business exec (or else you wouldn’t have time to comment here), and i’m pretty sure your relatives are not going to give a shit if your christmas cards are late.

@Sherlock
“The youth of today need to learn what life is like under Labor governments.”
LOLLL, you forgot - young people don’t send letters. Sorry, but young people believe that everyone should have equal rights. Conservative values of some people being better than others, are dying.

I was flying to Europe by myself when i was 15, when British Airways went on that strike 4 years ago. I was stuck in the middle of it, and didn’t get my luggage for 3 days after i arrived. Was i angry at the strike? No, because i believe that all people should have equal rights no matter what job position they hold. I was angry at the company execs who obviously didn’t negotiate properly with the workers.

Aitch B says:

03:07pm | 22/12/09

@cat
Obvious that the company execs didn’t negotiate properly with the workers, eh? How (at the ripe old age of 15) were you able to establish that? Believed the British press did we? No chance that there might have been a few totally unreasonable ambit claims in there…. as there often were back then?

Toby says:

04:04pm | 22/12/09

Drew - Who voted A BIG YES to unions?  I think if the ALP had you at the front of their campaign asking for people to vote YES for UNIONS Ruddy might be in strife.  People didnt vote for unions, they voted against Howard’s IR changes.  Most people think Unions are slug-heads, bullies and at the end of the day just plain useless.  Let’s not forget only 15% of the workforce are part of a union.

The best part of a Coalition government was they reduced your capacity to disrupt the nation for the sake of greedy pay rises at a time when unemployment is making its way back to levels that are only comfortable with a labor government. 

Now you will be led by Ged!  The best news ever!!  This is the same person who argued for an aged care nurse salary hike and failed dismally with a labor government!  If this is your new Burrows, I will sit on my armchair, feet up, with a beer and a grin from ear to ear as I watch the unions meet their demise and Ged fail once more.

Anthony Bellve says:

04:05pm | 22/12/09

I will you why it is Industrial terrorism. Terrorism uses threats and violence to coerce govt’s for political or ideoloical reasons. The unions are using strikes to coerce business into agreeing with with their beliefsand agreeing to their demands. They are conducting their strikes in such a way as to cause the most political gain for their actions. They are holding the Australian people to ransom until their demands are met, not unlike terrorists.  In the case of Australia Post, the union and its members could have sent all mail for free. That way the only vicitm is Australia Post and the Australian people would not have been caught up in this as hostages. But no, that isn’t drastic enough for the unions, that would be common sense, instead the union has to drag the Australian people into this.
In regards to Qantas. Once again the Union is holding the Australian public to ransom. Once again they time their strike so they can cause maximum distruption to operations. If the Qantas strike was really about safety, then why have the unions not forwarded their safety concerns to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). I have been able to find any evidence which shows the union have forwarded their concerns to CASA. If this strike is really about safety, then the union would have lodged a complaint with CASA, after all CASA’s role is to investigate safety breaches and concerns within Australia. The fact that union has not incolved CASA, shows this has nothing to do with safety, as the union have skipped dealing with the Aviation safety authority in this country and proceeded straight to strike action. Once again, referring their safety concerns to CASA and letting them investigate and deal with the concerns isn’t drastic enough for the unions, that would be common sense, instead they drag the Australian people into it.
That is why it is industrial terrorism, there are other ways to deal with the concerns and complaints that don’t involve dragging the Australian people into this, yet still acheive the desired outcome.They have by passed other reasonable courses of actions and have decided to hold the Australian people to ransom so they can coerce QANTAS and Australia Post into meeting their demands.

Sherlock says:

04:14pm | 22/12/09

@cats at:03:43pm

Young people mightn’t send letters but they buy stuff on-line. Guess who delivers it?

Darren says:

04:34pm | 22/12/09

@anthony Regarding industrial ‘terrorism’: you will find that profit-first, safety-second, overbonused executives will drop a plane out of the sky before a salaried engineer will. You are probably to young to remember the enviable global safety record of Quantas. Lest we forgot those who crashed the economy and how they grandly (still) self award themselves for ‘delivering’. God knows what.

DocBud says:

04:38pm | 22/12/09

Sherlock,

If you’re lucky a private courier. In the last two weeks we’ve had 5 “we tried to deliver a parcel” notices in our post box despite people being in every time. What they mean is “we couldn’t be bothered to knock on the door so please drive 5km to the Post Office to pick up your parcel.”

cats,

Wasn’t it you who said this:

“I constantly have to remind myself everytime I read something ill-informed and infurating, that 50% of the population is below average intelligence. “

over here:

http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/unsocial-commentary-the-art-of-mindless-online-abuse/#comments

Thereby demonstrating that when it comes to understanding statistics, at least, some are better than others.

Equality of opportunity is fine, equality of outcomes is not.

AdamC says:

04:40pm | 22/12/09

This dispute is apparently a long-running one. You can probably blame Auspost and the union equally for that. However, the Christmas strike action is an unfortunate back-to-the-seventies tactic, no doubt in vogue again thanks to our back-to-the-seventies government.

These sorts of actions demonstrate one of the problems with monopolies. One solution would be to privatise and de-monopolise mail delivery services (while retaining some of the infrastructure in government hands).

Jugger says:

10:15am | 23/12/09

I worked for three and a half years as a postie, so I feel qualified to comment.  This dispute has been running since 2006.  Australia Post has had plenty of time to reach a deal on pay and conditions, but refuses to do so.  All the posties want is a fair go, something they’ve been trying to get for over three years now, when their last workplace agreement ran out.

Posties work damn hard for not much pay, the average posties pay is around $38,000 a year.  Not much when you consider that they’re out in all sorts of weather.  They are also not allowed to take holidays at christmas like the majority of the population.  I say good on the posties, I hope you get all you want.

Kippo says:

12:08pm | 23/12/09

More power to the unions, excellent idea to disrupt the entire country to gouge extra benefits for a few union members who only represent 30% of postal workers.  Expect more disputes of this type, Airlines, petrol, public service, anyone with a gripe really, it is a strike fest.  The government has set the systems in place to support as much striking as possible, the more the better. Don’t complain about the inconvenience of strikes in this great socialist utopia, you voted for it an now it is all yours.  Unfortunately for KEVIN and JOOLS there is an effective opposition who will point out, with enthusiasm, the economic damage and conflict generated by militant labour.  Remember, collective bargaining will pretty much guarantee the lowest possible wages and conditions outcome.

cats says:

07:29pm | 23/12/09

DocBud, thanks for paying attention to my posts. Nowhere did i say that stupid people don’t deserve the same rights as smart people. What i said wasn’t a statistic i got from anywhere, i made it up my head.

Umm Sherlock, excluding Ebay sellers, most stuff is delivered by courier..

Aitch B - wtf? You think that a 15 year old doesn’t know what a strike is and how it comes about? Yeah.. maybe a 15 year old with an intellectual disabilty wouldn’t.
About believing the press, well i have no idea, i was in a non-English speaking country so i didn’t have the opportunity to read the British Press..

Michael Starn says:

09:16am | 24/12/09

Adam C - “This dispute is apparently a long-running one. You can probably blame Auspost and the union equally for that. However, the Christmas strike action is an unfortunate back-to-the-seventies tactic, no doubt in vogue again thanks to our back-to-the-seventies government.”

That’s a very cynical viewpoint.  Industrial action and our grandstanding government are to be congratulated for taking real action on climate change by 1) not working and 2) setting up a tax framework to take Australia back to the seventies.

Annika says:

04:30pm | 24/12/09

To ‘N’ the contractor doing it all on his own. No doubt you are claiming every damn thing on tax such as the wifes Audi (she’s a Company Director afterall), the kids Xbox slipped into the tax return as an office computer, the trip to Euro Disney, oh yes that’ll be a business trip. The mortgage payments also claimed as a deduction, its a home office of course. It is PAYE taxpayers, wage slaves such as the Postal workers who prop up the Howard era ‘entrepreneurial wan…......orkers’ while you just parasite off the taxpayer and find any avoidance scam that you can. Sick of listening to you and sick of subsidising you, ordinary workers cannot afford you.

Ben G says:

10:55pm | 24/12/09

“The union says the dispute is about job security, not pay.” One way to feel secure in your job is to keep at it.
It’s no coincidence that they go for the holidays, thankfully the majority of the public is able to see through it. Unions are a dying movement, mostly because of actions like this.