Unions

Christmas is long gone, New Year is a distant memory, the tennis is on TV and the summer break that saves the sanity of so many Australians is almost over. As usual in the lead up to Australia Day it’s time debate the health of the nation: where we stand internationally, and the slippery issue of our national identity.

I don’t think there are many countries that spend so much time trying to define exactly what they stand for.

While navel-gazing isn’t always healthy, one of the reasons for this debate is that we do not feel that our national identity is fixed, or tied to events of the past, but something that is always changing and improving.

Continue reading "Multiculturalism. It’s as Aussie as a lamb roast" »

For over 100 years unions have been the anchor for the Australian Labor Party. Without the weight of the two million-strong union membership the party floats away or gets out of touch with ordinary Australians.

Political junkies will get a fix this week when the ALP’s national conference kicks off in Sydney.

The debates over gay marriage and uranium sales to India will get breathless media coverage. But behind this the union movement will be steadily pursuing a united agenda to push for the rights of working Australians.

Continue reading "Unions keeping Labor united with workers" »

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.

Continue reading "Baiada is playing chicken with livelihoods and lives" »

One hundred and fifty social and community services (SACS) workers yelled and cheered. Some seemed close to tears as they sat in an auditorium at Technology Park in the Sydney suburb of Redfern last Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard was standing before them to announce that the federal government would support pay increases demanded in the ASU’s Pay Up campaign.

The emotion of the crowd was not surprising. They have been waiting for this result for a very long time. They have campaigned hard, and with the knowledge that the case will benefit not just them but their families and the communities they work for.

Continue reading "Win for community workers is a win for communities" »

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.

Continue reading "Here’s how Qantas can win back customers" »

What price forgiveness? Will a free plane ride make you take Qantas back into your heart? Will you once again feel a tickle of pride and fondness as the falsetto notes of ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ rise from those precocious young throats?

For most people, the answer will be: “Hell yeah, and I’ll take one of those fluffy kangaroos home for the kids!”. We can’t sustain moral outrage for long, especially in the face of compensation.

The Qantas ‘crisis’ is a numbers game from start to finish, and it’s a game they’ll probably win.

Continue reading "Qantas and Joyce will weather this specific storm" »

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.

Continue reading "Qantas standoff has cleared the air for real reform" »

Alan Joyce seems to have copped the ire of just about everyone because he was the bloke announcing Saturday’s decision to ground the Qantas fleet. 

The decision was understandably unpopular with those stranded travellers who had their plans thrown into disarray – and we can certainly all understand their anger and sympathise with them. 

But for every person affected by the 48 hours or so that Qantas wasn’t flying, there will be many more Qantas travellers over the next 21 days who have finally got certainty with the Fair Work Australia decision to disallow industrial action.  Moreover, those thinking of flying in the future will be able to book with Qantas with certainty.

Continue reading "Hey sheep, Joyce is just a scapegoat" »

First Alan, congratulations on your pay rise, and congratulations on Qantas’ profit in the last financial year. But sadly, I can’t congratulate you on your decision to take your bat and ball, and your aeroplanes, and go home.

Let me make this clear, you had a lot of options to resolve this dispute, but you picked the nuclear option, the one that caused the most disruption to passengers and the tourism industry.

On Saturday you chose to become the CEO that stops the nation, grounding Qantas’ fleet and stranding thousands of people from outback doctors, foreign leaders, and Spring Carnival punters.

Continue reading "If a union did this, all hell would break loose" »

Jesus motherloving Christ. If Alan Joyce is making a late bid for Twat of the Year 2011, then he’s eating daylight on his competitors. On Saturday the Qantas CEO shut down worldwide operations of one of the planet’s biggest airlines, in an over-reaction that made King Lear look pretty chill.

Like one of those seasoned chooks you get all ready for roasting, some things come pre-satirised. On Friday, Joyce asked shareholders at Qantas’ annual general meeting to give him a pay rise of 71 per cent, from under $3 million a year to about $5 million. They did. The next day, he shut down their company entirely, because of the “extreme demands” of workers. First prize, Alan. Believe.

Where unions have to give 72 hours notice of any action, Joyce gave zero hours. He stranded 68,000 people worldwide, upended the plans of tens of thousands more, and lost an unquantifiable number of future bookings.

Continue reading "Tie me bloody Kangaroo down, Joyce" »

Somewhere in California a student is having a laugh. His name is Alan Joyce and he holds the Twitter handle @Alanjoyce. A number of people, of whom I am one, wrongly added that name to tweets on the grounding of Qantas (If you’re so proud of taking the “hard decision” how about making one about your pay @alanjoyce ? #qantas).

Fellow tweeps pointed out the error and corrections were quickly posted. I even apologized to Mr @alanjoyce, somewhat pointlessly as the Stanford student understands full well that he does not run an airline any more than the former Hawthorn coach (Alan Joyce) does.

The reason my @alanjoyce tweet got a life of its own was that so many people apparently agreed with the sentiment and retweeted it. Some did not agree but retweeted it too.

Continue reading "Joyce’s wildcat move has mauled the Flying Kangaroo" »

Political tragics live for the moments when leaders let the mask slip; when the acting stops and the houselights come on and a bit of humanity shines through. We love when they slip up, or speak out, or decide to go out in a blaze of glory. We love it when there’s a surprise in the script.

After almost ten years in power, with almost ten days to go, SA Premier Mike Rann has raised the curtain on his final act before he hands power to incoming Premier Jay Weatherill, and the show is promising to be sensational, inspirational, celebrational. Or like a kind of torture.

Mr Rann has kicked off with a dazzling endorsement of gay marriage, and there are sure to be more big performances before it’s time to take off the makeup and dim the lights.

Continue reading "Are all our politicians either puppets or Muppets?" »

ACTU President Ged Kearney announced at the National Press Club the results of a poll of union members grandiosely labelled “The Census”. And she also talked about it yesterday on The Punch. But far from being an impartial look at the Australian workplace, the ACTU’s census is nothing but a narrow poll of self-selected participants.

The headlines shouted “Australian workers productive but stressed”. The findings to emerge from The Census included that respondents were working longer, finding it difficult to get by on their income, delaying dental treatment and were contacted about work outside of work hours. An overwhelming majority supported unions campaigning for better pay and conditions of workers.

The Census survey methodology is instructive.

Continue reading "Australians are working less and earning more" »

When I first entered the workforce some two decades ago, becoming a union leader wasn’t even on my radar.

I became a nurse to help other people and contribute to my community. Funnily enough, in a different way, that’s still what I’m doing today.

I stumbled into unionism because of my belief that collectively, we can achieve progressive change in our workplaces and for society. That remains my motivation today. It’s the same for the thousands of union delegates who are at work every day, not just doing their own jobs, but ensuring fair treatment for their workmates.

Continue reading "Unions: out there fighting for ordinary Aussies every day" »

I’m not sure exactly where the ‘back room’ is. But it must be big. If you’re reading this on a computer in an office, you might even be in the ‘back room’. And if you are – according to most politicians and media commentators – you are basically useless and easily dispensable. Feeling good about yourself?

In the budget this week, the NSW Government announced it would abolish 5000 public service jobs. Not any particular jobs, just a general cull of ‘head office and back room’ workers.

The terrible loss of steel-making jobs in the Illawarra drew widespread concern just a couple of weeks ago. But announcements of cuts to the public service are usually met with something between ‘whatever’ and ‘triple it!’. Unless it’s your job in the firing line, which is why public sector workers and their unions have been a bit toey lately.

Continue reading "Out of sight, out of mind, now out of work" »

If you want an insight into the debased language of modern politics, look no further than the cheat sheet about the Craig Thomson credit card scandal which some silly sausage from the ALP left sitting on the benches during Question Time this week.

The document, swiped by the Opposition and subsequently released to the media, contains a series of war-roomed hypothetical questions which Labor MPs may face from the pesky press about Thomson’s use of a Health Services Union credit card to fund horizontal hijinks at some of Australia’s leading knock-shops.

The funniest thing about the cheat sheet is that it’s written in a confected conversational tone, a bit like those guides they give the staff at Indian call centres so they can use slang and vernacular when they pester you during dinner time.

Continue reading "Craig Thomson, another top idea from NSW Labor" »

“There Is No Alternative” was a favourite line of Margaret Thatcher’s whenever she was trying to push one of her ideas on to the public.

The “TINA” philosophy has become part of the armoury of governments, big corporations, and others who want to convince us that we are naïve, ill-informed or stupid when we try and question the wisdom of their decisions.

Qantas is the latest example of a major company trying to convince us that There Is No Alternative to its plans to shift its operations offshore, and to cut about 1000 jobs here in Australia.

Continue reading "The flying kangaroo need not be a flying panda" »

Reading the massive Qantas wraparound ads in the papers yesterday, you could be excused for thinking Qantas was set to employ 11 year old junior lifeguards as cabin crew.

The spin-heavy ad campaign had the tagline “There’s a new spirit”, and was a backdrop to the announcement that Qantas would restructure itself by cutting 1,000 of its 35,000 staff, while also peparing to set up a new premium service in Asia.

Qantas has long relied on the feelgood factor in its marketing. You know that fantastic feeling when you touch down at an Australian airport after a trip overseas? Qantas has successfully bottled and sold that emotion. It’s our country. Our airline. You bloody beauty. Last night, however, many people voiced concerns that our airline was slipping away. And boy, did Qantas CEO Alan Joyce come out swinging in its defence.

Continue reading "Boxing Kangaroo" »

It has become an article of faith in Australian politics that a background as a union official is an undesirable and unrepresentative form of life experience for anyone embarking on a career as an MP.

Like any sweeping generalisation it is sometimes rubbish and sometimes true. There are plenty of former unionists in our Parliaments who have a sound knowledge of the industry their members worked in, a desire to see those industries prosper, and who were generally ambivalent towards industrial action, preferring to see negotiated outcomes which looked after the interests of both workers and employers. 

At the other end of the spectrum you find party careerists who relish the political power and lifestyle afforded by being a union official and use their position largely _ if not entirely _ as a springboard to land a seat.

Continue reading "Credit card Craig a problem Gillard doesn’t need" »

If Macquarie Bank was capitalism’s “Millionaires Factory,’’ the Labor equivalent, at least in SA, is the powerful Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association which turns out parliamentary careers.

Indeed, click on the party’s SA website where it says “Constitution and Rules’’ and the first thing that comes up is an ad for the shoppies’ union.

The socially-conservative SDA has been extraordinary in the degree to which it has dominated the party, colouring its policies, determining its leadership and personnel, and funding its political campaigns.

Continue reading "Swipe your way to a parliamentary career" »

It’s a little unfashionable to come out in favour of taxation these days.

If you read the debate about our tax system, you’d think the only issue is about how quickly we can cut taxes and get this thing called government off our backs.

The debate about tax has been skewed towards the views of business, and a view that the national wellbeing is nothing more than the sum of corporate balance sheets. A view that if it’s possible for a small percentage of the population to earn big salaries, then everyone else must be doing okay.

Continue reading "Attacks on tax lack facts" »

The cocked-up coup to oust SA Premier Mike Rann (read all about it here) has left a stain on the Labor Party carpet, and the various men responsible are either staring at it in disbelief or pretending it doesn’t exist.

The Premier himself has flown to India, and seems quite happy to let it fester.

A clean kill is the Holy Grail, the perpetual motion machine, the leprechaun’s gold for Labor party operatives. You would think the Gillard/Rudd experience would highlight just how difficult that is, but the factional warlords were optimistic enough to give it another go with Mr Rann.

Continue reading "Labor leadership woes: The more things change…" »

Barely a week goes by without yet another controversy about the funding of schools, most recently over high-fee school profits and school assets.

High-fee schools in particular aren’t excited by the prospect of increased scrutiny of either on the My School website.

But such scrutiny might be delayed for some time and this might ease their discomfort: In the time it takes to get the information correct they’ll be able to flex their considerable lobbying muscles to make sure it doesn’t happen. 

Continue reading "School funding review faces an uphill battle" »

They say the best thing about travel is that it gives you a better understanding and appreciation of home.  That’s certainly the case for me.  A recent trip to Europe, to attend the annual conference of the International Labour Organization, has shown me that while life in Australia is not perfect, we are still a long way ahead of most countries.

You don’t have to look far in Europe to see that the continent is still struggling through an economic crisis.Greece has seen riots as citizens protest the austerity package the government has been forced to implement to pay back its debts.

The move to an austerity package is dragging down the Greek economy by cutting wages and jobs, limiting the country’s ability to grow its economy and pay off its debts. The victims of this are working people and their families, many of whom did not benefit in the good times.

Continue reading "It’s never been clearer, there really is no place like home" »

It seems that everyone is having their say on the impact of a carbon tax on low income earners, except low income earners themselves, the “ordinary” Australian workers on very modest rates of pay. I’m not referring to the $150K “middle-class battlers” of the Budget debate fretting over mortgages and private school fees, but the 20 per cent of the Australian workforce in low paid jobs, who may be taking home just $25K or $35K, and for whom a poorly designed carbon tax may be one blow too many to the family budget.

United Voice represents over 120,000 of Australia’s lowest paid workers in industries like aged care, child care, cleaning, hospitality, tourism and security. We know what “cost of living” pressures really mean, because it is our members whose low pay forces them into making tough decisions like forgoing doctor’s visits or no longer buying meat, even on a full-time wage.

When there’s already nothing left at the end of the week - and while many of our jobs remained casualised and insecure - what will a price on carbon mean?

Continue reading "Ordinary Aussies need to be heard on carbon tax" »

When it’s this cold many of us think of escaping to a warm island paradise, but when it comes to Fiji the postcard images of warm water lapping pristine beaches mask an uglier picture.

Many travellers have been able to ignore the fact that Fiji is under a military dictatorship, but when the government is using their absolute power to stifle free speech and attack the rights of the workers who are serving you, it’s time to ask some serious questions.

The problem is what do we do?  Making calls on how we treat developing nations, especially our neighbours, is always tough. Tourism keeps the Fiji economy afloat and is vital to the living standards of all its people. Fiji is far from being North Korea with palm trees – there is still some civil society and freedom left.

Continue reading "Fiji: Franksta’s paradise hides a dark side" »

You can’t understand the history of social progress in Australia without understanding the union movement.

Unions have been the way in which ordinary Australians have made their voice heard in Government.

The way in which workers from shearers and nurses to factory workers have got together to build a common cause and combine their strength.

Continue reading "Unions are still giving ordinary Australians a voice" »

In search of mates for their unloved climate tax, Labor phoned a friend and the ACTU answered on The Punch last week. That was predictable. But it was the shallowness of Ged Kearney’s contribution which surprised many, because it demonstrated a limited understanding of the debate and scant regard for the best interests of her members.

The ACTU case is simple enough; it’s Labor’s case. Belief in the climate science and that someone must pay. The ACTU’s more nuanced perspective is that their members shouldn’t pay a cent. In the pantheon of climate hypocrisy, that places Kearney right up there next to Paul Howes. Someone must pay; so long as that someone isn’t me.

Credit to Kearney for conceding she isn’t an expert in the field. Nor am I. But ignorance is no excuse for refusing to seek simple answers to fair questions on behalf of her members. It is implausible that an ACTU president could be both unaware of membership doubts around both the science and the tax. It is breathtaking that she is unwilling to address them with reasoned reflection.

Continue reading "Unions abandon their members on carbon" »

Last night at a meeting of the Marrickville Council, the council voted eight to four to not pursue its boycott of Israel.

Marrickville Council’s abortive attempt to implement the Global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (GBDS) campaign against Israel in Sydney’s Inner West should be a wake-up call. The moment to turn this objectionable campaign around should not be lost, else we will see more loopy home-grown forays into foreign policy. While this campaign may have been temporarily halted at a municipal level, it has gained considerable ground within Australia’s unions.

In moving her motion at Marrickville Council, Greens Councillor, Cathy Peters noted that the BDS campaign had the support of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, the South Coast Labour Council, and various state branches of the ASU, Teachers’ Union, LHMWU, CFMEU and MUA. In fact this is only half the list.

Continue reading "BDS BS: Labor’s infected and the Greens are gangrenous" »

I’ve got a confession to make: I’m not a climate scientist. Nor am I an economic modeller.  I am the president of the ACTU, representing every Australian union and nearly two million Australian workers and their families.

In that capacity I think I have an important role to play in the climate change debate. Our members and their families have a big stake in this debate because they are the ones who have the most to lose if we don’t get it right.

Their job security and income security must be protected as we change our use of carbon; but more profoundly we should resist inaction, because this is an even greater threat to their jobs and their income.

Continue reading "Climate change is real, and someone must pay" »

Call me brave, or even stupid, but after David Penberthy’s piece last week, I’ve decided to launch a defence of NSW Labor leader John Robertson on The Punch. I expect pundits are already commenting below, calling me a union hack – or worse – as often occurs when I contribute to this site.

One of the reasons I feel compelled to launch this defence is because I find it curious that we endlessly search for people with convictions in politics, but end up bagging a bloke who was willing to stand up for his convictions.

Unpopular as it appears to the Labor elite, his convictions were shared by the majority of people in the community and by the workers that he was paid to represent.

Continue reading "Robbo’s no yobbo, he’s all guts and brains" »

A small tap of the space key can make a world of difference.

Case in point - mandate: “the authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative”; as opposed to man date: “two men doing something that would be your standard date, eg going to a film, out for a meal.”

Now, Unions NSW has been working constructively with governments of all stripes for 130 years. But with all due respect, if Barry O’Farrell becomes premier after Saturday’s election, I won’t be lining up for a man date.

Continue reading "Earn your mandate Barry, or there’ll be no man date" »

Each year the debate over the minimum wage seems to be dominated by people who’ll never have to live on it: economists, politicians, business lobbyists, and, I have to be honest, union
leaders.

We can all forget that a dollar means different things to different people. That for one of the 1.4 million Australians on a low wage an few extra dollars a week can be the money that keeps the lights on, pays the rent or buys new shoes for a fast-growing child.

Last week the ACTU lodged its minimum wage claim - $28 extra per week for a full time worker.It’s not a big ask when you think of the rise in electricity prices, fuel costs, rents and other expenses.

Continue reading "Why our poorest workers deserve an extra $28 a week" »

You’ve got to wonder how genuine Union boss Paul Howes’ latest headline-grabbing attempt to put himself centre-stage really is.

He’s launched the “Don’t Dump on Australia” campaign, ostensibly on behalf of his union members, to encourage people to protest Australia’s ineffective anti-dumping laws.

Fair enough.  But the question is – why doesn’t he just get on the phone to the woman he installed as PM?  Why doesn’t he remind Julia that he knifed Kevin to get her there and, after all, this is the year “of decision and delivery”. 

Continue reading "Howes will dump on anyone, except for Gillard" »

We’ve had factional thugs and faceless men, dishonourable rats and bloodsuckers, slap-downs and sabre-rattling – union officials have hit the front pages over the past week in all their rhetorical glory.

We’ve even declared war on shiny arses, although I have to admit I’m still not entirely sure what a war on shiny arses is.

But the most startling thing to me is that these exchanges have made front-page news. A bit of argy-bargy between union leaders, politicians and bosses is fairly standard practice in Australia. And some colourful language in the mix is nothing new. It’s called open, democratic society.

Continue reading "You call ‘em thugs, I call ‘em foot soldiers of democracy" »

The series of natural disasters that have caused so much damage in Queensland are creating new medium and longer term challenges for the Australian economy. 

However the Gillard Labor Government is unable to take the necessary action needed to stop the inflationary and multiplier effect its re-regulation of the labour market is bound to cause.

Unfortunately for all of us the Government can’t and won’t say no to its trade union masters.

Continue reading "Gillard continues to recognise faceless men" »

Notwithstanding the political sensitivities around the day, January 26 should be a time to consider where we’ve come from, what we’ve been through and who we are today.

So what have we got?

You’ll hear about larrikinism, but no one is 100 per cent sure what it means. And just like mateship, let’s face it: it’s a little blokey.

Continue reading "Fair go: a national character we can be proud of" »

Are you on annual leave right now? If so, you’re already doing better than one third of Australians who toil on through the entire year without taking a breath.

And there’s a very good chance you’re ruining your break entirely.  Be honest – have you checked your Blackberry or your iPhone or your remote email account?

Did you take a call that related to work? Did you get online to check something work-related? Then you’re not really on leave.

Continue reading "If you’re reading this you’re not on holiday" »

From the moment the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, Australia will begin summoning in a new generation – let’s call them Generation Fair – the first group of young Australians born under a universal scheme to support their parents through their first few months.

If you believe some, there will be an influx in the early hours of mothers desperate to hold back their child to join this select group.

Having gone through the rigours of childbirth myself, I doubt that – but I do accept these kids will be fortunate to be members of this new club.

Continue reading "Welcome to Generation Fair" »

When the judges sit down to decide who should be Australian of the Year, they should turn their attention to a quietly-spoken rigger from Adelaide who last week showed how one person’s courage can make a difference.

Scientists, doctors, actors, singers, economists, entrepreneurs, sporting heroes and even the odd shonky businessman have won Australian of the Year. And - every year - you can mount a serious case that the honour should have been handed to someone else. But then again that’s sort of the point.

Australian of the Year isn’t about a unanimous choice for most deserving human in the country. It’s about starting a national discussion about who we are and what we value in others. So this is why I would like to see the next award handed to a type of Australian who has never taken the honour. An ordinary Aussie worker. Ark Tribe.

Continue reading "Ark Tribe for Australian of the Year" »

It costs nearly $1 million dollars more to be born a woman in this country. While the average 25 year old male will earn $2.4 million over the next 40 years, the average 25 year old woman will earn only $1.5 million.

Of course there are a number of reasons for this gender pay gap. Women are more likely to work part time, take more time out of the workforce to undertake unpaid caring responsibilities and continue to bear a disproportionate share of the responsibility for unpaid household work.

Traditionally feminised jobs in the caring and community sectors have been historically undervalued and consequently, underpaid.

Continue reading "Claims we’ve gone soft on equal pay are rubbish" »

Political donations seem to be a hot agenda item.

The besieged NSW Labor machine suddenly comes up with a solution to starve the Coalition of funds for the forthcoming March 2011 election.

NSW Labor, long the recipient of donations for decisions suddenly thinks only 3rd parties should be allowed to spend large amounts of money on election campaigns, but under their scheme unions as well as left wing fellow travellers such as Get Up are deemed to be 3rd parties.

Continue reading "Where does Get Up! get off?" »

Our national political conversation is littered with words that have lost their meaning: ‘fighting for peace’, ‘protecting our borders’, ‘truth in sentencing’, the list goes on.

When it comes to the economy – ‘productivity and flexibility’ are two more benign, if somewhat bland, words that have been abused so horribly it is now tough to remember what they originally meant.

Often I read the commentary pieces in newspapers about these issues that make grand claims about the virtues of productivity and flexibility, a panacea to every business problem, a self-evident good.

Continue reading "How weasel words erode your working rights" »

As I prepare to pack my bags for the somewhat daunting task of representing almost 200 million workers around the world as head of the global union movement, I’m proud that Australian unions – in partnership with so many other women from our community – have stood together and delivered paid parental leave after 30 years.

When I joined my first union, we had just won maternity leave in our workplace: the basic right for women to return to their job after the birth of their child.  Never did I imagine that it would be three decades and more before we achieved a national paid parental leave scheme.

At last - paid parental leave for all working women.

Continue reading "New paid maternity leave is not perfect, but it’s a step" »

Union secretary Sally McManus urged women to do starjumps, take a nap, phone their mother and undertake various other activities to show their employers and fellow sisters and brothers that they really are serious about wanting equal pay.

The thing is though, we’ve had equal pay for years!

Yes, women on average tend to earn 18% (almost a million dollars) less than men over the course of their lifetime. That 18% figure comes from an AMP.NATSEM report done a couple of years ago.

Continue reading "Counterpunch: Practical ways to raise women’s wages" »

Today rallies for Equal Pay will be held around Australia and all working women are being asked to down tools for ten minutes in support of the protest.

Why ten minutes? Well women earn on average 18 per cent less than men ­so ten minutes is the amount of time women work for free every hour.
The big question is ­ what would we do with those extra ten minutes? After extensive consultation with women workers, here are ten ideas for those wanting to join our protest today.

Continue reading "10 things women can do while dreaming of equal pay" »

When anyone passes away, it’s only natural to dwell on their good points. So it is with professional life – no matter how hopeless someone is, the farewell speech will ultimately focus on their love of small animals.

Take Brendan Darcy (Sad exit of the man who took on building industry yobbos, on yesterday’s Punch) who refers to Building industry Star Chamber head John Lloyd as a remarkable public servant – and he’s right.
Mr. Lloyd is remarkable. At a cost of a mere $475 000 per year to the taxpayer (a figure substantially higher than Mr. Darcy is prepared to admit and well to the north of the salaries of, say, the PM or Chief Justice) Mr. Lloyd stands out from his colleagues. Why - because he plays a partisan role at the top of an ideologically driven organisation engaged in a political fight.

Continue reading "Counterpunch: You can speak ill of the politically dead" »

John Lloyd, the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner, is paid $400,000 a year. Could a public servant ever be worth that much?

Yes, when he and his role is worth a lot more than that to the Australian economy in billions of dollars of productivity gains. And yes, when the remuneration represents danger money as the Commissioner and his staff for which is responsible, have been and continue to be subject to intimidation and coercion by Eureka cross wearing thugs across worksites nationwide.

John Lloyd, a very charming but tough man, is even more remarkable as a public servant as he could have opted to keep a long term cushy IR Club job as a commissioner for many years.

Continue reading "Sad exit of the man who took on building industry yobbos" »

The trouble with Labor’s health plan is that it is not a plan.

The fact is that Mr Rudd’s health offer to the states is just a series of isolated funding announcements, unsubstantiated, unconnected, and incomplete.

The trade off for giving up 30% of the GST, the growth tax that is mandated to the states, is yet another series of grants dependant on the whim of the Federal government, and does not translate into sound policy to deliver better care for individuals.

Continue reading "Rudd’s really after the GST" »

A big stink over loo paper not only threatens to flush thousands of Aussie jobs down the can, but leave Kevin Rudd holding a steaming pile of, well, you get the picture.

In a precedent-setting decision that’s as “silly as a bum full of smarties”, to steal a line from Kenny, the government has allowed 20,000 tonnes of Chinese and Indonesian dunny paper to be dumped on the Australian market at prices up to 45 per cent cheaper than in their home countries; much of it under the Woolworths Select label.

But before you shout “you bloody bewdy” and pop out to Woolies for some bargain bog rolls, pause for a minute and contemplate just why any company would sell a mountain of goods at a loss.

Continue reading "The great stink over cut-price toilet paper" »

When I read Jamie Briggs’ most recent contribution to The Punch on industrial relations I wasn’t in the least bit surprised.

It was a predictable salvo in the hundred year war on industrial relations in this country. This war is the battle line between the two major political parties, driving the partisanship and iron discipline of our respective parties.

Labor has always believed that a fair go should apply, that workers need protection and that everybody deserves dignity at work. This belief is not driven by theories or politics but by more practical issues – of making sure a worker can live off their wages, that they have job security if they do a good job and that there’s an umpire to ensure fairness.

Continue reading "Workchoices architect needs some real life experience" »

In the mid 1990s the teachers credit union Satisfac came up with a kindly and seemingly innocent idea to celebrate the excellent work of its teacher members.

The credit union, which historically had served teachers but like many other institutions now has a wide customer base, decided that to recognise the role of the teaching profession in its own development it would establish an annual awards event called The Best Teacher Awards.

But when the awards were initially proposed the reaction from the teachers union was one of outrage and dismay. Satisfac was told in no uncertain terms to shelve the idea, with the union arguing it was the height of impertinence for a credit union – or anyone else for that matter – to declare that some teachers were better than others.

Continue reading "My School brawl exposes unions’ culture of mediocrity" »

While you are dining out or at the shops over the summer holidays, spare a few minutes to think about the young person serving you and how their rights at work have changed over the past two years.

Two years ago, that person was working under WorkChoices. Chances are they had no protection from unfair dismissal and little or no job security. It was possible they were employed on an Australian Workplace Agreement, which had stripped their minimum conditions to the bare basics.

Their employer could simply ignore them if they and their workmates wanted to join together to collectively bargain for better pay and conditions. And if they chose to join a union or even ask a union into their workplace, they ran the risk of harassment and discrimination from their boss.

Continue reading "Libs still hope the WorkChoices zombie can rise" »

The Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union say they’ve been trying to negotiate with Australia Post for months and have been left with no choice but to strike three days before Christmas.

Australia Post says they’ve been forced to bump up the numbers of their Christmas casuals to deal with the all the joy and good tidings landing in post boxes around the country. One man’s “Christmas casual” is another man’s “strike breaker”.

Talk about bad timing. Unions clearly go for the holiday season to maximise the impact of their actions. Last week in Sydney the bus drivers walked off the job. British Airways had to scramble to avert a 12 day strike. And now the posties have given themselves a bit of extra time to get the last minute shopping done.

Continue reading "Who’s the grinch, Australia Post or the union?" »

Bob Hawke - like most public figures - always likes to get his picture in the paper.

But there was one time when I beat him at his own game.

It was the annual cricket match between the ACTU XI and the Press XI in Port Melbourne in the mid-70s.

Continue reading "Yes I love Bob Hawke and long may he reign" »

Can anyone help me out? I’m looking for the fat bloke in braces who was meant to be running the country after Labor got elected.

Surely you’ve seen him, the Union Boss who was meant to be terrorising the nation’s taffeta dress shops. Maybe he is hiding in an ante-room off the PM’s office.

There’s nothing like a healthy dose of reality to blunt most political scare campaigns, but even by the Punch’s Scary Creatures Benchmark (PSCB*), the Liberals effort at the least election was up the with the best of them.

Continue reading "Still waiting for the invasion of the scary union overlords" »

In 1995, La Trobe University student publication Rabelais ran a feature entitled The Art of Shoplifting, which highlighted student poverty a decade before it became an election platform. Now it and student media publications around Australia are facing relative poverty themselves.

Since Voluntary Student Unionism was introduced by the then Liberal Australian Government in mid-2006, Australian student media have been starved of funds.

VSU was introduced with the aim of removing the obligation for tertiary students to pay for and be members of student unions. The Punch interviewed representatives from three student publications and the response was the same: VSU has curtailed the potential of student media to add to a vibrant university culture.

Continue reading "The death throes of student newspapers" »

Five years ago, Glen Viegas cut into a live wire as he worked on the construction of a shopping centre on the NSW Central Coast. That wire should have been disconnected. But it wasn’t. Glen was killed, and an hour and a half later, his wife Andreia had to pull back a white hospital sheet to identify her husband’s body.

Next time you see burly construction workers marching in a protest, consider stories like Andreia’s, and the fact that on average, one construction worker dies from work every week.

The experience of Andreia, and others like her, is what motivates trade unionists when we push for the best possible health and safety laws.

Continue reading "Unions turn on Gillard over worker safety" »

There’s been a lot of talk recently about so-called “green shoots” springing up in our ravaged economy.

Some commentators have grasped a recent bounce in the stock market, a few surprisingly strong profit results overseas, and a benign sense of business confidence as evidence that the economy is on the path to recovery.

Well, it is time for a reality check.

Continue reading "Why unions will remain the voice of workers in Labor" »

You will all be aware of current demands for Australian Government procurement policies to include a “buy Australian” bias. The Government does not support such proposals. We remain resolutely committed to a non-discriminatory purchasing policy.

Australia is a signatory to numerous international agreements that seriously inhibit our ability to use discriminatory procurement policies. We have been vocal in international forums warning against the serious threat any upsurge in protectionism poses to the world economy. If we introduce protectionist measures like discriminatory procurement policies we will invite retaliation from other countries. As a trading nation, Australia stands to lose a great deal in any global outbreak of protectionism.

The notion that there are big gains for Australian companies and workers to be won from discriminatory procurement policies is essentially a mirage. Research by my Department that I am releasing today shows that the possible benefits are very modest.

Continue reading "Buy Australian not worth the risk to our economy" »

Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner said yesterday on Meet the Press that the government choosing to buy Australian made products was like him doing his 15 year old daughter’s homework.

I’m not sure what he means by that, but it’s clear he hasn’t been doing his own homework when it comes to using the government’s stimulus packages to create the most jobs possible.

In fact, the government choosing to source products overseas is like getting the neighbour’s kids to come over and mow the lawn, and then wondering why your own kids are hitting you up for pocket money when you go to the shops.

Continue reading "Labor risks throwing away Australian jobs" »

During my childhood, 1957 and 1958 were “the two good years,” the were the only years my working class redneck family ever caught a real break. And that break came because of organized labor. After working as a farm hand, driving a hicktown taxi part time, and a dozen catch as catch can jobs, my father found himself owning a used semi-truck and hauling produce for a Teamster unionized trucking company called Blue Goose.

Daddy was making more money than he’d ever made in his life, about $4,000 a year. The median national household income at the time was $5,000, mostly thanks to America’s unions. After years of moving from one rented dump to another, we bought a modest home, ($8,000) and felt like we might at last be getting some traction in achieving the so-called “American Dream.”

Continue reading "Workers must seize back the golden age for themselves" »

So the ability for Union reps to get into state schools depends on them being invited in by the school principal- who, in most cases is going to be a paid up member of one of the most militant unions, the Teachers Federation. That should ensure access. There should be no place in education for propaganda!

Julia Gillard feigns a fight with Trade Unions at their annual conference but gives her blessing to the indoctrination of school students 14 years and up. Funny thing –those who are 17 years now will be voters in the next Federal and State elections and the Labor Party affiliated unions will be in the school with the imprimatur of officialdom drumming up support for themselves and Labor candidates.

To use a Ruddism ‘fair shake of the sauce bottle’ –I think the Liberals need equal access to at least balance the message.

Continue reading "Will the real Julia Gillard please stand up" »

The improbably named Ark Tribe is on the verge of creating the first real schism between the Rudd Government and the union movement.

The knockabout building worker is in court in Adelaide today facing charges of refusing to answer questions to the Australian Building and Construction Commission, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of six months jail.

If convicted, Tribe will become the first trade unionist to be jailed since the 1960s. when Clarrie O’Shea was locked up for refusing to disclose internal union documents, sparking a general strike.

Continue reading "Tribal war between Gillard and the union movement" »