http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/industrial-relations/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-workers-forced-to-turn-japanese-i-really-think-so/ Companies expand and companies contract. That’s capitalism, and it’s hard to get too angry at Toyota’s decision to sack 350 workers given the high Aussie dollar which makes it incredibly tough to sell Aussie-made cars overseas, and especially compared to the greedy banks, who dispense with families’ livelihoods in order to make huge profits even bigger. That said, there were several ugly things about the sacking of 350 workers from Toyota’s Altona plant this week. One was the officious way Toyota did the deed, humiliating long-serving workers with heavy-handed security guards which union leaders likened to “Nazis”. Then there was Tony Abbott, who showed zero sympathy to the workers or their families by harnessing the moment as a platform to say how the auto industry would be even worse off under the “caaaaarbon tax”. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-workers-forced-to-turn-japanese-i-really-think-so/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-workers-forced-to-turn-japanese-i-really-think-so/#item8279 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Were-striking-a-blow-against-BHP-greed/ Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Were-striking-a-blow-against-BHP-greed/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Were-striking-a-blow-against-BHP-greed/#item7790 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/just-the-facts-on-labors-workplace-reforms/ Let’s add some truth to the debate on the Fair Work Act: Here are the facts on labour market productivity, lost time from industrial disputes, real wage growth and profits from Australian corporations. This year will be a big year for the Government and for Australia. One of our challenges will be the review of our Fair Work Act. This will be an examination of whether the Act is operating as intended and whether the legislation could be improved in order to achieve its objective.  The Opposition will no doubt be using this opportunity to soften the ground for a return to WorkChoices. The Liberal backbench are falling over each other to force Tony Abbott to move closer to the policy of the Howard government. The sensible question that people should be asking in this debate is – what makes an effective modern workplace relations system? penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/just-the-facts-on-labors-workplace-reforms/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/just-the-facts-on-labors-workplace-reforms/#item7650 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-gorgeous-tropical-paradise-ruined-by-a-cruel-regime/ While the rest of the world is throwing off the shackles of authoritarian regimes and taking the first steps towards democracy, one country is slipping further into military rule. Fiji is not on the other side of the world, it’s in Australia’s neighbourhood. Many of us have visited as tourists and it’s a place where our Government has real influence. Behind the smiles of the tourist industry it’s a place where citizens have few human rights, where the media are oppressed and where trade unions are targeted. Its economy is stagnating and Fijians are leaving in droves. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-gorgeous-tropical-paradise-ruined-by-a-cruel-regime/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-gorgeous-tropical-paradise-ruined-by-a-cruel-regime/#item7355 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/action-man-tonys-best-weapons-need-to-be-big-ideas/ When Tony Abbott last month stomped around a military base in Afghanistan in bomb disposal kit he looked more like an over-cautious beekeeper than a man of daring deeds. But Abbott cannot be underrated for political boldness and dismissal of caution. His Action Man style has for the past 12 months allowed the Gillard government little time for rest or applause. But now Tony Abbott is foreshadowing a switch from the relentless and restless tactics to a more settled period of policy creation. Twice in the past seven days he has pointed to extra effort in the contest of policy ideas, while still harassing the Government. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/action-man-tonys-best-weapons-need-to-be-big-ideas/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/action-man-tonys-best-weapons-need-to-be-big-ideas/#item7353 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Baiada-is-playing-chicken-with-livelihoods-and-lives/ Until the dramatic events of Friday night, the Baiada Poultry dispute in suburban Melbourne had not had the publicity of Qantas. That’s a shame because the gutsy fight by low-paid Baiada workers is just as important in the fight for fair treatment at work. Media coverage has focused on the clashes between police and workers, but has ignored the basic issues at stake. A couple of hundred low-paid workers have been forced to take legal industrial action because their employer has refused to bargain with them. They are taking collective action in an attempt to stop the spread of insecure work – and ensure that Baiada workers on low wages have some certainty around their jobs and basic rights to sick leave and holiday pay. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Baiada-is-playing-chicken-with-livelihoods-and-lives/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Baiada-is-playing-chicken-with-livelihoods-and-lives/#item7142 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-how-qantas-management-can-win-back-customers/ How would you feel if you were the Qantas CEO and people were telling you loudly that they loved Virgin Australia as you were walking through the airport? For some, Alan Joyce is a hero for taking on the unions, but for others he is a person who should hear firsthand the distress suffered by those Qantas passengers stranded during the shutdown he ordered. Sadly, the debate for many has become centred on a particular individual. The CEO of a company should command wide ranging respect from all the company’s stakeholders. It’s certainly not enough to be loved by your management peers at other companies. They’re only good for giving you a new job if you leave the old one because you have lost the moral authority to succeed in your current position. History will judge Alan Joyce as a CEO, but in the meantime Qantas management must stand collectively in being fully accountable for their recent decisions and for presenting a vision to get Qantas back on track as the great iconic company that it has been. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-how-qantas-management-can-win-back-customers/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-how-qantas-management-can-win-back-customers/#item7103 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whos-feral-now-Tony/ It was an extraordinary complaint from Tony Abbott. “It’s very difficult to have a sensible debate,” he said, “when you are confronted with a feral government”. Politicians don’t come any more ferocious and brutal than Abbott. He reverted to the wild the moment he got his paws on the Liberal leadership. His style is pure attack dog, as feral as you’d get. Everything, irrespective of merit, has to be opposed and torn to pieces. The mining tax is a case in point. It is now glaringly obvious that the benefits of the mining boom should be shared around so that the overall economy benefits rather than just a small and privileged section. Opposition to the tax is shrinking. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whos-feral-now-Tony/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whos-feral-now-Tony/#item7077 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/qantas-turbulence-reveals-ir-policy-vaccuum/ Contempt ran deep for the old IR club with its protected unions and compulsory arbitration, spawning the short-lived “new right”, animating the HR Nicholls Society, and stiffening the resolve of a new wave of Liberals intent on dismantling a century of state-controlled employment relations and labour market rigidity. The anti-club’s high water mark was, however, its ultimate undoing: John Howard’s WorkChoices and the removal of the no-disadvantage test from individual work contracts. This over-reach led to the 2007 defeat by Kevin Rudd and to the current Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott declaring at the 2010 poll that WorkChoices was: “dead, buried, cremated” - in that order! It wasn’t the end of the Liberal recant. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/qantas-turbulence-reveals-ir-policy-vaccuum/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/qantas-turbulence-reveals-ir-policy-vaccuum/#item7073 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Qantas-standoff-has-cleared-the-air-for-real-reform/ An industrial dispute has two sides – employer and employee. The Qantas dispute had a very important third side – the innocent travelling public. How they see the dispute, and which side they blame, will be important in the backwash. If they blame Qantas, the airline will have problems regaining, let alone improving, its share of the market. If they blame the unions, Qantas will have a strengthened bargaining position. Did Qantas have any alternative to the extraordinary decision to ground the fleet? It was facing continuous scattergun strikes, and the unions involved were not showing any intention to try to come to a compromise. The grounding tactic was clever, in that it forced the government to bring Fair Work Australia into the game, with the result that the guerilla strikes were ended. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Qantas-standoff-has-cleared-the-air-for-real-reform/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Qantas-standoff-has-cleared-the-air-for-real-reform/#item7061 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Going on strike for a week is a big call. It’s never a decision workers take lightly and it happens rarely. But this week, over 3,500 coal mine workers from seven central Queensland mines operated by BHP have made that call. The week-long strike comes after many months of smaller stoppages. But when you’re negotiating with one of the richest companies in the world, it takes something dramatic to get their attention.