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[WoodenEye]

An 'us-versus-them' workplace is just bad business

Nothing that has happened in the bitter Qantas dispute suggests that the "big end of town", in support of Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, has learnt much at all about workplace democracy.

The dispute has all the hallmarks of traditional adversarial industrial relations being played out that, in the end, may have to be settled by some form of arbitration.

This is not, however, just a dispute about executive salaries and staff wage levels but rather about three key unions and thousands of employees wanting to protect their jobs. The real issue here goes even further than job security. The employees have no real say in discussions and major decisions that affect them — and Qantas is not alone in operating this way.

Is it not high time that we investigated a better way of managing relations between employers and employees? A way does exist: give staff a stake in the business, a financial stake and a voice....................................................!

If nothing is done, Australia will continue along this adversarial industrial relations path, which helps neither employers nor employees as evidenced by the damage done to Qantas.

Dr Klaas Woldring is a retired former Associate Professor at Southern Cross University and is honorary secretary of the Australian Employee Ownership Association.

Source: http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/opinion/politics/an-usversusthem-workplace-is-just-bad-business-20111103-1mxdf.html