New Industrial Relations Laws?

Any opinions on the new I R Laws? I personally know someone who has worked at a local hotel for approx. 40 years, he has just been told his hourly rate will decrease by $3 and if he is not happy he can leave. I will never set foot in that hotel again. This is going to cost the Libs the next election.

Re: I R Laws

Yeah im not sure that that is how it works.... gee the union can really put up a good scare campaign!!!! i think the libs have already lost its a pity cos we're gonna have to put up with crap economic management for the next 4 yearS!

I've seen both sides so far.

Suffice to say that I work in a specialised industry where there just aren't suitably trained people available who aren't already employed. Bottom line is that my employer actively encouraged me to join the union (which I did, never been in a union at all until 3 months ago). As far as I can determine, the reason is that they are less worried about a 40% pay claim that the union is pursuing than about the prospect of workers leaving and thought that being in the union would encourage people to stay. Management has gone as far as to authorise use of resources, vehicles, paid time etc for union matters as long as there is at no point a complete stoppage of work. That is, they're happy to pay wages during union meetings etc as long as enough people remain at work to maintain the appearance of normality. The lost time has, in practice, been made up with paid overtime at penalty rates without question.

2. Mobil is pulling out of running service stations in Tasmania with their sites being acquired by an non-major oil company operator under it's own brand. They have cut the wages of workers, something that has received considerable publicity. I won't be buying fuel from them.

Bottom line seems to be that those with in-demand skills have basically got a blank cheque now more than ever whilst those without such skills had better get used to earning about $28K working full time regardless of when (day, shift, weekends etc) they actually work those hours.

Average wages seem likely to continue to rise but with an increasing gap between rich and poor defined not by formal qualifications but market demand. If the job can be done by anyone with minimal training or there is a large pool of suitably trained people then look out below as far as wages are concerned. If it's specialised then you don't have too much to fear until the next recession at which point I think we'll see the real effects of the new laws prolonging the slump as workers accept pay cuts in fear of losing their jobs.

A way of increasing the boom and deepening the bust IMO. History will judge it harshly.

Good post as always Smurf.

What does the lower wages do to the amount of money circulating in the economy? Recently the retail sector has been lamenting the cost of petrol impacting sales, so what does reduced wages do. So caviar may sell more and a few more Porches on the road, but what about all the shops etc that rely on discrestionary spending.

Just a thought!!

That is a very good point....

One of the main reasons for this boom to end all booms is the increasing amounts of disposable income in the hands of the middle class....

its actually had an effect of making the rich even richer... and the widespread consumption has caused massive reduction in the cost of developing and manufacturing new products, simply becuase of the huge market out there... resulting in the biggest leap in our standard of living in the history of the planet...

take that away, and we are only going to go backwards, higher prices and fewer people enjoying the good life... more discontent... more disparity and the possibility for major upheavals....

from an environmental point of veiw, that may be a good thing... but certainly not from a social point of view...