ozzieeagle

How much will these reforms affect you ? In our case they have the potential to cause us to lose at least 20-30 pct of our take home income. Seeing as both my Wife and I rely on shift penalty payments for that proportion of income (if not more), as we are both night shift workers.

What happened to Nurses in the UK,when they removed Penalty Payments, I suspect, they actually never removed penalty payments for nurses as that would have rendered the NHS, almost staffless. Maybe all the nurses went agency, then did the Agencies lower their rates ?

The whole bluff and Bluster of these reforms, could be just that. I cannot see how one year all delivery staff at aussie post, would be 15-30 pct better off than the next year.. Imagine what could happen if those shift penalties were removed.

So If Howard is actually really going to be true to his word. I would advise people migrating, that they are possibly coming to a workplace warzone


Mind you I'm sure it's not going to happen, It's all 'bullshit' Except for maybe the sickpay component.


How will the reforms affect you ?

bondipom

Howard also wants to reverse the right to part time work for mothers of pre-school children made by the IRC yesterday. I thought he wanted mothers back to work!

BLC

Ozzieeagle

You wouldn't happen to have a decent link to a website for more info on this?

Cheers
B

TheCrone

I'm all in favour of workplace reform, provided that the pollies have to abide by the same rules as everyone else.
We, the voters, are in fact their employees......and I'd love the chance to sack some of the 'sitting members' for inefficiency, or not turning up to work when they're supposed to........and cutting their benefits, like utterly unreasonable superannuation payouts, postage allowance, free travel for them AND their spouses.........I can continue, if you wish.........

ozzieeagle

I'll endeavour to find one.


Best place maybe a newspaper. Will check it out.

Storini

There isn't much definitive detail at present. The Oz government is doing the typical trick, © New Labour, of trailing some outrageous proposals in the press to see what dissent it stirs up and then using this to gauge exactly what it should come forward with in legislation. There is good background comment on http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/ under the Comment/Opinion banner at the left.

IMHO Oz's competitiveness would be better enhanced by reducing taxes and excessive regulation/bureaucracy, which are all out of proportion to the economy. But I see little chance of that unfortunately.

Amazulu

If it moves Australia to the right, then I support it. If it means lower taxes/less red tape, then let's party on. Australia needs to break the left wing/union driven/ bureacratic bullsh*t stranglehold that is holding it down.

G'Day

I am not sure how, if at all, it will affect me. If it gets too bad I am sure the Aussies, with their history of unions, will leave Howard wishing he was dead as they will leave the country cripple with strikes (and I'll be right there with them!)

Personally I have decided not to worry too much about it as I can't see workplaces being willing to lose skilled labour by being penny pinchers.

But I'll wait & see...............

ozzieeagle

I think it will be at least as bad as the Thatcher years of the early 80's "fleet st' and the miners et al, I dont think Howards got the stomach for that.

Lets hope I'm right. The unions are gearing up for it though. Mind you Thatcher didn't have to take on angry nurses eh !

G'Day

Now THERE's a thought to keep Howard honest :scared:

BLC

Many thanks, out the loop being here in the UK, must get back into the Australian rags (for what they are worth :scared: )

Cheers
B

diddy

Good bless the European Union.
One of the things I keep automatically registering in my head since being in Oz is 'Howard will never get that through the EU courts.....d'oh, I'm in Australia'.
Being here and listening to his workplace reforms really makes you appreciate the way the UK has developed in this area in the last 20 years. Women have a tough enough time in OZ anyway without Johnnie Boy's reforms.

The worst reform has to be getting rid of unfair dismissal for companies with less than 100 employees. These reforms make you appreciate Australia's ecomonical status. It appears Howard is more interested in competing with and developing workplace policies akin to China rather than follow the West, although I suppose the US is somewhat similar.

Paul.

RReed

These reforms are aimed at creating a more flexible, efficient and productive national economy.

It will do this by giving all the power to the employers and shafting the employees. Anyone who is in part-time, casual, temporary, in the non-unionised sector and/or a woman is stuffed.

Remains to be seen if these reforms will go through or if they will succeed in either generating greater prosperity for oz, or contribute to the widening economic inequalities and create social dislocation.

Rachel

renth

It's bad enough as it is without these so called "reforms". I look around at my place of work and most people are on fixed term contracts, no security at all and much less super too.

So much important work here is done by "volunteers" - in museums or tourist attractions many of the staff are there working for free. It's unbelievable.

I can't see Howard wanting to pick a fight with the unions, they are just so strong and ingrained in the workforce, AND supported by the state governments (all Labor).

I was on a demo recently and the CFMEU boys were there and believe me, you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them. The irony is so many of the CFMEU "heavies" have broad Scottish or Scouse accents, it's hilarious. some even have little St Andrews cross flags on their uniforms next to the CFMEU "Eureka" flag.

ozzieeagle

Will the first person to get affected by these reforms,either positively or Negatively please post. Lol.


After discussions with area managers in Victoria, seems that the only way they could bring the removal of penalty payments to Aussie Post, would be to up everyones hourly rate by a minimum of 15 to 20 pct, Which would have the immediate effect of uping everyones sick, holiday and long service leave payments, a very inflationary measure. I would imagine most big employers would be in the same position.

At present there is a permanent slight staff shortage at the Victorian end of Apost, Resulting in permanent 'voluntary overtime' of about 15 pct for each employee. The view is APost will not be changing the wage structure in the next 2-3 years, whatever the government does with legislation. Or put anotherway, the next Enterprise Barganing agreement will go through as per normal.

The first area of Apost, that would be affected in any nationwide Industrial action will be Transport.