2013 Federal election - Rudd sets date as 7th September

[Psyber]

Have a query...
What are the chances of Abbott re-introducing us to work choices???

Zero.
I hope there may be some liberation from the stranglehold of those dictatorial national unions more interested in power than representing workers, in favour of enterprise based unions closer to the people they are supposed to support.

I'd always been a union member in all the jobs I held during my student years, whether it was compulsory or not.
There does seem to have been a drift away from supporting the individual workers rights in favour of deals with politicians and other power brokers. The one union I resented joining (under compulsion) was the University Students Union, which supported nothing I had any need for, and functioned more as a training ground for political aspirants.

Later, as a doctor doing WorkCover assessments I was disgusted to see individual injured workers being shafted in favour of deal brokering.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Because everyone knows big business will look after the unskilled labourers of this country.

[Psyber]

Because everyone knows big business will look after the unskilled labourers of this country.

I'd like to see the unions do it, but they trade individual well being for building power networks for their executives to benefit from.

[Q.]

Because everyone knows big business will look after the unskilled labourers of this country.

I'd like to see the unions do it, but they trade individual well being for building power networks for their executives to benefit from.

Yeah, but at least I get sick leave

[The Sleeping Giant]

Because everyone knows big business will look after the unskilled labourers of this country.

I'd like to see the unions do it, but they trade individual well being for building power networks for their executives to benefit from.

Not saying the unions are any better with the way they are going. Just more sympathetic towards the labour force.

[Grahaml]

Because everyone knows big business will look after the unskilled labourers of this country.

I'd like to see the unions do it, but they trade individual well being for building power networks for their executives to benefit from.

Not saying the unions are any better with the way they are going. Just more sympathetic towards the labour force.

Not sure where the idea unions are good and business is bad comes from. Business pays the wages, unions are funded by the workers. Unions like to make a song and dance about what they do for the workers, reality is they do what they can to firstly continue their very existence in a world where their need is near zero then secondly use the perceived good work to up their own wages. Business loves their workers. Without good workers, business goes nowhere. These days with so much education about rights and information readily available it's so easy for someone to move to a new job. Good workers are always in demand.

[Jimmy_041]

Not sure where the idea unions are good and business is bad comes from. Business pays the wages, unions are funded by the workers. Unions like to make a song and dance about what they do for the workers, reality is they do what they can to firstly continue their very existence in a world where their need is near zero then secondly use the perceived good work to up their own wages. Business loves their workers. Without good workers, business goes nowhere. These days with so much education about rights and information readily available it's so easy for someone to move to a new job. Good workers are always in demand.

I dispute that - the unions I know are closet capitalists who create most of the money outside of the union dues.

[Grahaml]

You say you dispute it, then agree by saying Unions get money from workers. Whether they have other revenue streams or not, the point is workers pay unions, business pays workers. If I'm paying someone, they owe me something in return it's not a favour at all like the Unions would like people to believe.

[Psyber]

While I am all for enterprise based unions, I do distrust of big national unions.
This is not because I am a member of the Liberal Party, but based on my experience as a doctor treating or assessing workers over the years.
I believe some have become power machines, disinterested in the people they are supposed to represent.

There have been incidents of the employees of national union offices taking to the streets in protest at the way they are treated by their employers (the unions) in Melbourne and Sydney, and I was involved in several incidents in SA in the early 1990s, where individual workers were shafted in deals made between the union's lawyers and WorkCover SA's lawyers that have suited the law firms, the unions, and the business involved, but not the injured worker.

During the mid-1990s there were 3 specific patients I was treating personally who suffered this fate. Each was told by the union, and its lawyers, to take the $25,000 lump sum compo on offer as "that is the best anyone gets". I referred all three to an independent lawyer I knew and all of them got over $60,000 inside a few weeks - after Workcover SA realised they were no longer dealing with tame opponents they could make a deal with.

The first big government/Union love in deal I saw was way back when Don Dunstan was Premier. Metro Meat were folding and the state was threatened with elevated unemployment and the relevant union 's SA branch with decimation. A deal was made that saved the meat-works and the union, and of course the jobs which was trumpeted loudly - but it involved relaxing safety protocols and in the next 12 months there were 640 new cases of Brucellosis contracted by those workers - a massive increase. I treated one who suffered permanent brain damage as a result. He was not the only one.

Neither the Union nor the government ever mentioned this health damage and it only came out when an article by a Microbiologist at the IMVS appeared in the Medical Journal of Australia.

[Jimmy_041]

You say you dispute it, then agree by saying Unions get money from workers. Whether they have other revenue streams or not, the point is workers pay unions, business pays workers. If I'm paying someone, they owe me something in return it's not a favour at all like the Unions would like people to believe.

They do get money from the workers but they get a $hitload of revenue from other sources that most people dont know about. EBA's are worth a fortune to them.

[Jimmy_041]

Have a query...

What are the chances of Abbott re-introducing us to work choices???

Here is a link to what their policies are: http://www.hunthunt.com.au/news-and-publications/2013-05-10ewr
Whether you believe it or not, that's what they're saying

Q: You can keep sick leave as long as you dont "cash it in" for extra wages.
That's what happened before. Some parts of the construction union cashed in their public holidays and then bitched when they had to work on ANZAC Day

[Q.]

Here is a link to what their policies are: http://www.hunthunt.com.au/news-and-publications/2013-05-10ewr
Whether you believe it or not, that's what they're saying

About as vague as vague gets.

[mighty_tiger_79]

gotta love Katter he is on fire

[The Sleeping Giant]

Because everyone knows big business will look after the unskilled labourers of this country.

I'd like to see the unions do it, but they trade individual well being for building power networks for their executives to benefit from.

Not saying the unions are any better with the way they are going. Just more sympathetic towards the labour force.

Not sure where the idea unions are good and business is bad comes from. Business pays the wages, unions are funded by the workers. Unions like to make a song and dance about what they do for the workers, reality is they do what they can to firstly continue their very existence in a world where their need is near zero then secondly use the perceived good work to up their own wages. Business loves their workers. Without good workers, business goes nowhere. These days with so much education about rights and information readily available it's so easy for someone to move to a new job. Good workers are always in demand.

What a load of crap. You must be living under a rock. Look what happened the last time the coalition was in with work choices. I'm sure the employees who were given contracts which included normal rates of pay on a Sunday felt like business was looking aftet them.

[wycbloods]

You say you dispute it, then agree by saying Unions get money from workers. Whether they have other revenue streams or not, the point is workers pay unions, business pays workers. If I'm paying someone, they owe me something in return it's not a favour at all like the Unions would like people to believe.

They do get money from the workers but they get a $hitload of revenue from other sources that most people dont know about. EBA's are worth a fortune to them.

How are EBA's worth a fortune to Unions?

[wycbloods]

Because everyone knows big business will look after the unskilled labourers of this country.

I'd like to see the unions do it, but they trade individual well being for building power networks for their executives to benefit from.

Not saying the unions are any better with the way they are going. Just more sympathetic towards the labour force.

Not sure where the idea unions are good and business is bad comes from. Business pays the wages, unions are funded by the workers. Unions like to make a song and dance about what they do for the workers, reality is they do what they can to firstly continue their very existence in a world where their need is near zero then secondly use the perceived good work to up their own wages. Business loves their workers. Without good workers, business goes nowhere. These days with so much education about rights and information readily available it's so easy for someone to move to a new job. Good workers are always in demand.

Yeah because businesses just wake up and think it must be about time to improve working people's conditions.

It is not as though workers have ever had to work more than 8 hours a day and they have always had 4 weeks on annual leave and superannuation entitlements.

I find it amusing you think there is so much education about workers rights etc. Many workers, particularly young workers and migrant workers, have very little knowledge of their workplace rights.

If your view of the world was true then why would the Libs seem so intent on reducing Unions access to workers? If a business were doing the right thing by its workers why would they be concerned about a Union talking to their workers?

[Jimmy_041]

You say you dispute it, then agree by saying Unions get money from workers. Whether they have other revenue streams or not, the point is workers pay unions, business pays workers. If I'm paying someone, they owe me something in return it's not a favour at all like the Unions would like people to believe.

They do get money from the workers but they get a $hitload of revenue from other sources that most people dont know about. EBA's are worth a fortune to them.

How are EBA's worth a fortune to Unions?

Go and ask someone at you union

[wycbloods]

You say you dispute it, then agree by saying Unions get money from workers. Whether they have other revenue streams or not, the point is workers pay unions, business pays workers. If I'm paying someone, they owe me something in return it's not a favour at all like the Unions would like people to believe.

They do get money from the workers but they get a $hitload of revenue from other sources that most people dont know about. EBA's are worth a fortune to them.

How are EBA's worth a fortune to Unions?

Go and ask someone at you union

You made the claim so I wrongly assumed you had some facts to back that up.

[BIG SEXY]

Not sure where the idea unions are good and business is bad comes from. Business pays the wages, unions are funded by the workers. Unions like to make a song and dance about what they do for the workers, reality is they do what they can to firstly continue their very existence in a world where their need is near zero then secondly use the perceived good work to up their own wages. Business loves their workers. Without good workers, business goes nowhere. These days with so much education about rights and information readily available it's so easy for someone to move to a new job. Good workers are always in demand.

Yeah because businesses just wake up and think it must be about time to improve working people's conditions.

It is not as though workers have ever had to work more than 8 hours a day and they have always had 4 weeks on annual leave and superannuation entitlements.

I find it amusing you think there is so much education about workers rights etc. Many workers, particularly young workers and migrant workers, have very little knowledge of their workplace rights.

If your view of the world was true then why would the Libs seem so intent on reducing Unions access to workers? If a business were doing the right thing by its workers why would they be concerned about a Union talking to their workers?[/quote]


perhaps because unions relentlessly push up the price of doing business

[Jimmy_041]

You made the claim so I wrongly assumed you had some facts to back that up.

You wrongly assume I dont have facts - go and ask your union