so long as the IR changes do not go too far, I have no problem...

so long as the IR changes do not go too far, I have no problem with them. Unions have their place but for too long they abused their power. At the moment unfair dismissal laws are a disincentive to hire staff - if they don't work out it is too hard to sack them so employers find reasons not to hire new staff. New Zealand is a case where workers rights are too strong meaning that hiring staff is too great a risk in many cases which hurts the unemployed.

We need a balance. At the moment the pendulum has swung to the employee with the economy effectively at full employment but all that could change in the event of a downturn.