Coles brand product quality deterioration, page-9

Bit harsh JC. If Coles really needed a shake-up (and I'm not suggesting it doesn't), I wouldn't be criticising a new leader after less than 100 days in the job.

I was concerned that you may be showing gender bias after your criticsms of Vicki over at TLS, but you appeared to be equally critical of Andy, and come to think of it, you don't have much good to say about any of the (all-male) big bank execs either.

Re United Voice - it no longer exists, and it was never a 'boss's union', but union's representing disparate groups in industries which employ large numbers of temps & casuals always have difficulty playing the 'hard ball' needed to achieve industrial success. Like TCF, we call them 'weak', but they're only as strong as their members' preparedness to fight, and these unions have difficulty getting workers to join, let alone put up a fight.

I think UV disappeared a few years back following several amalgamations, and is now United Workers Union. They probably still have the same problems with penetration and lack of militancy. Some unions might benefit from all these amalgamations, but for many, their issues just get diluted, and real organisation within becomes splintered.