I have just joined this forum and saw your photo from the 2005 march, my husband and I were there too (2006 also).
The Longman YRAW Community Action Group presented a petition to that same federal Liberal minister 's office Thurs 22/02/07 and, as usual, he wasn't there. We also mounted a peaceful protest outside his office for 2 hours. There was a great 'honking' response to our placard waving from the passing motorists.
I just received an e-mail from the Your Rights at Work people (I apparently subscribed when I replied to something the AEU sent me ).
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It's official! The Federal Government's own report shows that their new AWA individual contracts are cutting the pay and conditions of Australian workers.
Since the new workplace laws were introduced, the Government's own figures prove that AWA individual contracts are all about Cuts, Cuts, Cuts:
51% cut overtime loadings 63% cut penalty rates 64% cut annual leave loading 46% cut Public Holiday payment 52% cut shift work loadings 40% cut rest breaks 46% cut incentive based payments and bonuses 48% cut monetary allowances 36% cut declared public holidays
There is a transcript from Hansard that makes interesting, if at times confusing, reading.
The aim was always to get workers out of the union first then reduce their pay and conditions.
First it was the carrot of a slight increase in pay to get people to cross over, and then once they had jumped the fence they were at the mercy of ruthless employers.
Not all employers are ruthless despots, and I’m happy with my present boss, but once their profit providers (employees) are out of the union it is a huge temptation for some employers to see how far they can go
AWA's are the worst thing to happen in Australian workplaces in over 100 years. The level of FEAR in the workplace is now palpable.
The worst thing about them is the public service is uneffected, those lazy clowns need a boot up the backside and if you don't believe me catch a train in sydney
"The Daily Telegraph has just about run out of adjectives to capture the incompetence of these Macquarie St state-stranglers. For now, we'll limit it to three: deceitful, callous and irresponsible." - Editorial, Wednesday November 12, 2008
Sounds like Debnam was planning on bringing an apocalypse to the public service in NSW, if he's ever elected that is.
GOOD! at the moment we're throwing away millions of $$$!
"The Daily Telegraph has just about run out of adjectives to capture the incompetence of these Macquarie St state-stranglers. For now, we'll limit it to three: deceitful, callous and irresponsible." - Editorial, Wednesday November 12, 2008
Sounds like Debnam was planning on bringing an apocalypse to the public service in NSW, if he's ever elected that is.
Yeah, this is how stupid it is. He originally said he would slash 29,000 but it was worked out that Sydney could not run at all with 29,000 less public servants, so he said he would cut 20,000 instead. It has since been calculated that to meet all the extra services Debnam has promised he will have to hire extra public servants so he can make his cuts of 20,000. But even worse he is not cutting them, just not replacing them when they retire. Some of those he has earmarked for this don't retire for another 15-20 years.
It's all bullshit. Every opposition in the world promises to cut bureaucracy to fund their over the top promises but the moment they get into power, apart from some tokenism in the first 12 months, they inevitably increase their bureaucracies. Howard did exactly this and has now got the most bloated government in Australian history.
Debnam cannot meet his funding promises and knows it. He has already rehearsed his excuses and practised his blame game shuffle.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.
[SARCASM] I wish they would stop making this stuff up, surely no-one is worse off under the new IR laws! [/SARCASM]
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Union seeks injunction over WorkChoices Tuesday Mar 27 12:44 AEST
A union has filed an injunction in the Federal Court in Melbourne preventing a security firm from moving its workers onto a WorkChoices agreement with a new company.
The Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) sought the injunction against security conglomerate AGS-Securecorp, which provides security for shopping centres across Melbourne, including Southland, Chadstone, Werribee Plaza and Victoria Gardens.
LHMU lawyer Ben Redford said outside court that they were seeking the injunction under the Trade Practices Act to prevent the company from moving its workers, who are currently employed by AGS, across to Securecorp.
Mr Redford said that AGS and Securecorp had the same directors, but were set up as two security firms.
"What we are seeking is for the court to order the companies to write to each of its employees and correct the false and misleading statements, that we say they've made to their employees, that are designed to induce them to move their employment into the non-union company (Securecorp)," he said.
"Both AGS and Securecorp appear to be working together to try and move the employees of AGS over to Securecorp."
LHMU assistant state secretary Jess Walsh said that the new WorkChoices agreement downgraded the guards' conditions.
Ms Walsh said workers would lose current award entitlements such as overtime rates, redundancy payments and uniform allowances.
"Guards were told: 'Sign here'," Ms Walsh said.
"What they weren't told was that they were signing onto a WorkChoices agreement that trashes their award and slashes pay by up to 13 per cent.
"It's fitting that today is the anniversary of Work Choices because here is the real and ugly face of (Prime Minister) John Howard's unfair work laws."
Security guard Shane Ralston, 32, said he was told that he had no choice but to sign the new contract after their Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) expired.
Mr Ralston said he would be struggling to make ends meet under the new contract.
"You can't live on this, it's not possible," Mr Ralston said.
"I've done all the figures and we are a minimum $300 out (of pocket) if we go over to the new agreement.
"I've had enough. I've had a gutful."
Fellow security guard Tim Bartolo, 28, said that under the agreement they would be paid an $18 per hour flat rate and lose lucrative penalty rates on weekends and public holidays.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow said the security workers, who made the community safe, were being poorly treated.
"The company is using the corporate veil," Ms Burrow said outside court.
"This is deceitful behaviour," she said.
"Let's hope an injunction at least raises questions about whether or not this is a legal way of operating."
I see a reason to keep a lid on wages considering our present "boom" period as this will not be able to be sustained when the economy corrects itself and levels out - Once given it is hard to takeaway. But basic conditions and entitlements such as leave, sick, overtime and other penalty rates, do need to be protected from unscrupulous employers.
I see a reason to keep a lid on wages considering our present "boom" period as this will not be able to be sustained when the economy corrects itself and levels out - Once given it is hard to takeaway. But basic conditions and entitlements such as leave, sick, overtime and other penalty rates, do need to be protected from unscrupulous employers.
I don't see wage earners enjoying this 'boom'. Company CEO's salaries and bonus' are growing faster than weeds . . and conditions for workers are going backwards . . so many people I know have gone from full time to part time or casual (not by their own choice) but by Work Choice with loss of many benefits. Wage earners will settle for restraint when they stop seeing CEO's accepting $20M per year benefits.
I will be out of the country for the first 12 days of BB . how clever am I ! Smart enough to leave the 'dead-heads' behind
Well what a slap in the face to Howard. He went begging to big business and SMEs seeking money to fund a propaganda campaign extolling the virtues of his new IR laws, but not one business, business organisation or association wanted to have a bar to do with giving him a cent.
It is well known that many businesses are not happy with the IR laws either, especially SMEs, and this proves it.
This came on the back of business saying that Howard is way behind the eight ball on global warming and environmental matters and if he won't regulate or bring in stricter environmental controls they will work with Rudd and the States.
How about this nice loophole deliberately put into WorkChoices to rip off workers:
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Employer greenfields ‘agreements’ (EGAs) are not agreements in any sense of the word. They are unilateral instruments setting pay and conditions, determined solely by management of an organisation before it establishes a new ‘project’ or ‘undertaking’ (which appears to include, under WorkChoices, a new branch of a franchise or a business that has been sold in certain circumstances). Workers cannot legally take industrial action for 12 months after an EGA comes into force. EGAs were created by WorkChoices. Prior to WorkChoices, greenfields agreements could only be made with unions, for bona fide new businesses. Since WorkChoices took effect, the number of union greenfields agreements has fallen sharply, and two thirds of greenfields ‘agreements’ have been EGAs. Average wage increases under EGAs (3.48 per cent) are below those under WorkChoices union greenfields agreements (3.64 per cent) and indeed the lowest of any time of agreement for which data are available (Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, 2006).
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.
Logged
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