New Industrial Relations Policy

[PennyBenjamin]

To all those in poorly paying GA jobs. How do you feel you will be treated if/when this new John Howard/Liberal Industrial Relations policy is put through.
Most of us pilots have long been paid pennies for our jobs, many (most) still are. I believe this IR policy will only screw us further. The ability to fight the boss as a team (as was done in NAC a year or two ago) is being thrown away. The likelyhood that blokes will work for nothing is going to increase. This can't be allowed to happen!

I believe that there has to be a line in the sand under which no pilot should work commercially. The only way this will work and wages will go up is if we work together and no-one works for nothing! Am I asking too much? Every time I ask someone 'why do you work for free?' people give me lame answers like 'it's only to get me past the 100/500/500ME mark'. I say 'balls' to that. You have earned the license and thus you have earned the wage, no settling!!

If there is anything that has to be taken out of the death of those guys in FNQ is that GA wages are way too low. Look at the owners of the well run GA companies and how much doe they are bringing in, economic viability is well and truly possible with pilot wages of min $35K/SE $45K/ME $50K/RPT $55K/CP or something along those lines. You pay penuts, you will get monkeys.
Next edition: Skippers: The turbine airline paying single engine piston wages?

[Boney]

I don't things will really change for the worse in GA - how can you root something that has already been rooted?

Instead, the average worker in Australia will have THEIR industry put more in line with ours. (Poor bastards, at least our jobs are half interesting on a good day, $hit we 'aint here for the money!?)

My mum(my), in her 65 years of wisdom said recently.

"I have no sympathy for all the blue collar workers that are going to be screwed by Howard as 51%+ voted the lyer back in . They have traditionally been non Liberal voters because the Liberals have ALWAYS put the working man as the absolute last priority."

Bend over people, Geoff Dixon and other pigs at the troughs, plan ya new bonus's and laugh ya heads off.

And another thing, where are those weapons of mass distraction hoWARd?

[raafboy26]

I don't think it's a matter of blue collar workers and the like wholly supporting howard.

I believe that the majority of Australians are not ignoring the faults of the coalition government, but rather, are simply choosing to meet howard half-way.

look at the leadership of the alp. it hasnt been great. can the australian public legitimately be expected to vote ALP when the party leadership has been in such a mess??
personally i feel that the best solution would have been to leave latham in the job. despite his faults, the australian public love a 'character'. his type of persona in the long term probably would have been very useful in providing a much needed distraction from howard's incessant rumblings.

the 'interest rate' hysteria at the last election caused much anxiety for average australians who have bought their own home.

additionally, despite all howard's faults, and the administrative problems inherent within centrelink, the welfare system has probably never been so strong as it is presently within australia's history. they have literally thrown dollars into it and there is a centrelink payment for nearly every problem that may prevent an individual from working. irrespective of what anyone will tell you, the system is presently working extremely effectively in comparison to past welfare frameworks.

Don't get me wrong, i'm a labor voter and majored in IR at uni.

but really, the reason that howard has been so successful simply relates to the australian public choosing to meet him half-way. it has nothing to do with people suddenly changing their inherent political ideologies and beliefs.

[Ultralights]

ever since being employed under the NEW IR laws, my pay has increased $250 a WEEK, i work a 4 day week! and i still have all my usual award conditions and more..... same amount of Annual leave, same amount of sick leave, same amount of overtime, if not more!

i see all the negatives about the new IR laws as a result of union scaremongering...

after the new IR laws are passed, i think the usual market forces will take over, Bosses willing to cut conditions will find it increasingly difficult to find good employess, whearas companies like where im at now, who treat their staff as equals and reward their workers with higher wages and better conditions will see outstanding staff quality, and more productivity... just look at Boeing and BAE and williamtown!

the world is changing, the only constant is change, and only those who are willing to adapt and change will survive......

there is no such thing as a career for life anymore... simple fact.

now if only the Labour government here would stop taxing my retirement funds into bankruptcy with Land taxes, then i will be happy.

[nomorecatering]

I'm of two minds about the new IR laws that will come into effect. While I normally lean to the right side of the political spectrum I will look closely at the legislation and not blindly support any or all of whats being proposed.

I can see his point to a degree, it does seem absurd that a nation that has under 8 million workers has 5,000+ awards, 6 different IR systems etc etc etc. Anything that can reduce the paperwork burden for any business surerly must be a good thing. I'm sure the overly complex system is a conspiracy betwen lawyers and accountants to create work for them.

I doubt that Mr Howard(and I always call the PM, be he Liberal or Labour....Mr......Or Mrs if that's the case) would intentionally undermine workers, something he has worked for the past 7 or so years to improve. In fact I dont think any political leader would. They want to be re-elected.

I do feel for the unskilled, the fodder so to speak, the are at most risk of getting screwed, but as someone said today, thay are allready being screwed so nothing much will change there.

An interesting point that was aired recently was the notion that mr Howard was trying to dissasemble the union movement, getting people out of unions so the unions revenue pool dries up, therefore the Labour party is starved for funds, especially around election time so they cant fund expensive tv and radio advertising campaigns.

The unfair dismissal aspect needs to be addressed. An employee who is caught steeling, particualy money should not be able to sue for unfair dismissal. My dad who is a director of a large leagues club told me sometime ago that an employee was caught stealing money, several thousand $$$. He was dismmissed and later filed an unfair dismissal claim. To avert a costly court case involving lawyers(read large legal bills) they settled out of court to the tune of $10,000. This is absurd.

In any case the devil is in the detail. If you are disadvantaged, send a submission to Alan Jones at radio 2GB, he will go into bat for you and most likely raise it directly with the PM. One person that the PM does listen to is Alan Jones.