re: this is what john howard will do to our kids
Moreover, a fair, safe and accountable workplace/system.
BTW, the word fair was added later to the glossy marketing brochure and the originals shredded.
Morgan poll: public gauges Howard's IR
“Despite the mass of publicity, debate, and advertising by the Federal Government and the Unions, the opinions of Australians have barely changed since the last Morgan Poll on the Industrial Relations reforms in July of this year. In fact, a slightly higher proportion of Australians now disagree with the Industrial Relations reforms (49%) than disagreed in July (47%). The percentage of Australians who agree with the reforms (17%) remains unchanged since the previous survey.”
Proposed Reforms
The Federal Government has proposed that unfair dismissal laws be abolished for employers with one hundred staff or less. Australians are overwhelmingly against this proposal, with 66% (down 4% since July, 2005) saying they disagree, compared with 26% of Australians who agree with the proposal and 8% who couldn’t say,
As part of the Industrial Relations reforms the Federal Government has proposed extending the probationary period for new employees from 3 to 6 months. The majority of Australians (54% - up 7% since July) disagree with this proposal while 41% (down 2%) agree. Five percent couldn’t say.
A majority of Australians (55% - unchanged) agree with the Government’s proposal that employees be able to cash in two weeks of their annual leave. Forty percent of Australians disagree with this proposal and 5% were unable to say.
The 20% of Australians who had not heard of the Industrial Relations reforms initially, were asked again if they agreed or disagreed with the reforms. The response was divided, with 6% disagreeing with the reforms, 6% agreeing and 8% unable to say.
When asked if, overall, they thought the Industrial Relations reforms would be a good or bad thing for Australia , 50% of Australians believe that they would be a bad thing, compared to 29% who believe they would be a good thing. Twenty-one percent of respondents were unable to say.
Those surveyed on October 12/13, 2005 were asked if they had any comments or reasons why they disagree with the proposed Industrial Relations reforms. Many respondents thought the Howard Government had abandoned the workers and were concerned about workers’ rights, with common responses being:
“John Howard does not have the worker’s benefits and interests at heart”, “The industrial revolution happened for a reason — to give workers better working conditions. Not all workers have that ability to fight for their rights”, “I believe they are throwing Australian workers to the wolves. The Australian worker will be seriously disadvantaged. They will be exploited even more than they are now”, “How would you go? Still a worker, you have to negotiate for your time off, your sick pay, your holiday pay. You have to haggle and fight your boss for all of those things. Not happy”, “The current Government is trying to put the battler into a weaker position. Little Johnny just wants more power” and “They are taking away the right of the employee”.
Other respondents commented that the shift in power to the employer would place workers in a position where they could be taken advantage of, saying:
“I think workers will be disadvantaged by the changes, making them more vulnerable”, “I think everyone needs protection. Employers are definitely going to try to screw the workers”, “It’s unfair in the long run. It gives employers too much power”, “The everyday workers will be worse off and employers will have too much control” and “I am concerned about the intimidation of workers — deregulation of workers rights”.
Others who disagree with the proposed Industrial Relations reforms mentioned job security as a reason, with comments such as:
“The average worker won’t have a say in things. Job security won’t be what they say it will be”, “It seems like people can be dismissed for inadequate reasons”, “From what I have seen there is too much casual work and not enough permanent jobs — there is no job security any more — this will make it worse!”, “I think it is providing more room for employers to dismiss employees for minor reasons” and “It makes it difficult for a new generation to find secure jobs”.
Some respondents were concerned about the ability of employees to negotiate with their employer, saying:
“Not everybody has the capacity to negotiate with their employer”, “It will disadvantage the people who can’t argue their case”, “It is one thing for a professional or somebody in a white collar to negotiate a contract, but a blue collar worker may not have the skills to do so”, “It assumes that things are equal — and they’re not. The workers and the bosses don’t have equal rights or equal bargaining power in negotiations” and “They are getting rid of leave loading. People who are not savvy at negotiating will miss out on their entitlements”.
Of those who agree with the Industrial Relations reforms, many believe they will benefit Australian employers — particularly small business employers, with common responses being:
“I think it is going to make small businesses more competitive and is going to lead to less unemployment”, “Something needs to be done. Things need to be changed — it’s too hard for an employer to get rid of someone who’s not doing their job right”, “The reforms are there to protect small business — small businesses need protection” and “There are s many cases where small businesses have gone through really hard times because of employees making it hard for them”.
Many believed the reforms will help improve productivity and be beneficial to the economy, saying:
“It’s the way of the world — we have to become more competitive”, “Industrial Relations reforms are designed to improve productivity and living standards”, “I think the reform is needed in order to continue the good economic capacity Australia currently has” and “There are real pressures on any Australian business these days coming from Asia and China - meaning that we need to reform out Industrial Relations systems in order to become more competitive in a globalizing labor market”.
Others who agree with the Industrial Relations reforms believe the Unions currently have too much power, with comments such as:
“Unions have had too much power over the last 20-30 years — it has been detrimental to the workers”, “The unions need their powers curbed”, “I think the unions have quite a bit of power in some industries. Lessen the union power in those areas to make them more productive “ and “I think the trade unions have outlived their original purpose and now business and small business in particular should be able to get rid of the people they want to”.
