Ferret you have nailed it, I don't think I have seen a better round up of the problems in ASA...ever.
Unfortunately for the "workers" in all industries we have become the whipping boys/girls of the latest class to hit the scene "the management class". (A century or so old now I admit but only just hitting their straps) Somehow they have convinced the world that the people who do the job cannot be trusted to get the job done. Politicians and stock holders have all been conned into believing that they need a university educated know-it-all in a suit to tell those that really know how to do the business, how to run a business. Just look at the GFC, all caused by smart-arses who could smell a cheap dollar. Where were the bank workers that knew that running a good business is about being honest and fair.
Anyway it does not matter where you look anymore, you will find plenty of CEOs and wannabe CEOs, plying their destructive trade. Promise the selection board everything they want, throw in a structural "change (doesn't matter if the workers saw that change 5 years ago) but above all make an enemy of "the union". Who by the way are always "the union" never representatives of their own employees, but you will all be used to that. The important thing is to have scape goat so when the CEO or wannabee moves on to the next sacrificial lamb his successes will be magnified and his failures the fault of "the union".
What can we do? Cross to the "dark side" although you have to live with yourself. Do what you love most and ignore the crap around you. If you feel strongly, join "the union" and take the battle to the enemy. Move overseas but be aware that CANSO exists to ensure that the bosses have a legitimate place to plot. Ignore the ****, work when you want, take sick leave inquisitions in your stride (what can they do make you a controller!), remember that revenge is a dish best served cold, and never never forget that you are working to have a life, not living to be at work.