The Gillard Government

[DB008]

Soft......... I used to do 3 to 6 months months and 1 week off construction in the 70's Newman / Tom Price.

I was single at the time last gig I did out in the bush was a 3 and 1 (gold) I found it hard after so long but there were a large number of married guys for them it was really hard, when I got married I never went back.

So, which one was it?

I was doing 4 & 1 for a few years. I'll be honest, when doing 4 & 1, the 4th week is bloody hard (it's a killer with only having 1 day off in the whole month). Have done a few 5 week stints and your health is more important than money.

 

[IFocus]

So, which one was it?

I was doing 4 & 1 for a few years. I'll be honest, when doing 4 & 1, the 4th week is bloody hard (it's a killer with only having 1 day off in the whole month). Have done a few 5 week stints and your health is more important than money.

I started in the late 70's you had to drive in those days as a contractor drugs and alcohol was a case of who was your dealer LOL, men were men etc , lived in the NW at various times then ended up doing gold fly in / out final trip 91.........

Dannyboy understand 4 /1 is hard average punter wouldn't get it.

 

[sptrawler]

Yes Dannyboy and Ifocus, I hear a lot of people bitching about the money being earned in the mines. I don't see a queue on St Georges Terrace trying to get up there. LOL

Everybody wants to earn $120k+, not many want to work in 40deg+ for 60 hrs/wk while spending75% of your life living in a donga.
By the way you fly home in your own time. Rollup, rollup plenty of jobs.LOL

At least Julian Grylls is trying to make it so families can stay together. He deserves a pat on the back.

 

[Julia]

As an aside, did anyone hear on the news the other day that every year in Australia it is estimated that 2 billion hours are worked but not paid for - overtime - I'm making the assumption that the great majority of them are workers who receive a salary. Poor buggers.

Well, here you have the divide between those who function in a union controlled environment and those who are able to negotiate their own conditions, I guess.

Unpaid overtime? Of course. Whatever it takes at times of pressure to get the job done properly. It's about believing in what you're doing and understanding that when you want some time for something personal there will be no hesitation in this being available. It's called 'give and take' and is the stuff on which productive and satisfying workplace relationships are forged. It's about mutual co-operation.

With tax free benefits and allowances, company car etc., those people who understand a mutually productive relationship will win every time.
Not to mention the greatly more pleasant working environment compared to one in which there's a constant squabble over pay and conditions.

 

[JTLP]

Well, here you have the divide between those who function in a union controlled environment and those who are able to negotiate their own conditions, I guess.

Unpaid overtime? Of course. Whatever it takes at times of pressure to get the job done properly. It's about believing in what you're doing and understanding that when you want some time for something personal there will be no hesitation in this being available. It's called 'give and take' and is the stuff on which productive and satisfying workplace relationships are forged. It's about mutual co-operation.

With tax free benefits and allowances, company car etc., those people who understand a mutually productive relationship will win every time.
Not to mention the greatly more pleasant working environment compared to one in which there's a constant squabble over pay and conditions.

Spot on Julia. 'Unpaid overtime' allows me to work from home if I like and shoot off from work to the doctor etc. Early Fridays another incentive. Can't imagine too many hourly wagers getting this...

 

[DB008]

Everybody wants to earn $120k+, not many want to work in 40deg+ for 60 hrs/wk while spending75% of your life living in a donga.
By the way you fly home in your own time. Rollup, rollup plenty of jobs.LOL

12 (or 10 on construction) hours per day, 7 days a week = 84 (or 70) hours per week, plus overtime, so close to 100 hours per week.

sptrawler, I was over it after doing that for a few years. As they say, do it while your young...

 

[sptrawler]

Well, here you have the divide between those who function in a union controlled environment and those who are able to negotiate their own conditions, I guess.

Unpaid overtime? Of course. Whatever it takes at times of pressure to get the job done properly. It's about believing in what you're doing and understanding that when you want some time for something personal there will be no hesitation in this being available. It's called 'give and take' and is the stuff on which productive and satisfying workplace relationships are forged. It's about mutual co-operation.

With tax free benefits and allowances, company car etc., those people who understand a mutually productive relationship will win every time.
Not to mention the greatly more pleasant working environment compared to one in which there's a constant squabble over pay and conditions.

Spot on Julia, this is what Smurph was alluding to on another thread. Just because you push up wages for a job doesn't mean you get better people.
Sometimes the ones with the least ability but the loudest voice, push for increased wages but lose conditions.
That may be because the perks weren't extended to them, as they may have been low achievers.IMO
Anyway lets just keep working towards the lowest common denominator. Funnily enough I think Bob will work this out and realise he is in a very bad place.

 

[Eager]

Too busy to reply properly now, but I will 'soon' start a new thread on wages vs salary (I've done both) to avoid hijacking this thread. There is lots to talk about.

Later

 

[joea]

As an aside, did anyone hear on the news the other day that every year in Australia it is estimated that 2 billion hours are worked but not paid for - overtime - I'm making the assumption that the great majority of them are workers who receive a salary. Poor buggers.

Hi. I was a salary person. I was the Production Manager of a sugar mill. Sugar Chemist.
I was on call 24 hrs. when the mill operated.The reason for this was, that a mechanical breakdown was accepted, but mill stoppages by production were frowned on. Manager was a ex- sugar chemist.
Early in my career I figured out if I helped the operators to be really good, then they could solve the problems for themselves.
What actually happened was the more you helped them, the more they would want to learn. Well what eventuated was a mill that performed really well in efficiency( top of the state generally) and we were always in the top 3 in Qld. for sugar quality.
I received a free house, basically free power, a good superannuation scheme(defined benefit) and if I got sick I was covered by my salary.

I was also sent for a trip with a director around the world, to learn about prawn farming.
When I built my house, I currently live in, I owned it the day after the builder finished.
I could never have done any of the above on wages and overtime.

Was I short changed? Maybe!
Do I regret it? No!
Did we have a high turnover of personnel? No!

Life goes on!
joea

 

[Julia]

Back to the government: The Labor Party conference is up and running.
The world is facing financial chaos.
People here at home are becoming more and more stressed about the rising cost of living, the forthcoming carbon tax, various other real concerns.

But what is the Labor conference obsessed with? Gay Marriage!!!
Unbelievable.

 

[dutchie]

Back to the government: The Labor Party conference is up and running.
The world is facing financial chaos.
People here at home are becoming more and more stressed about the rising cost of living, the forthcoming carbon tax, various other real concerns.

But what is the Labor conference obsessed with? Gay Marriage!!!
Unbelievable.

That says it all about this Labor government.

Unbelievable and dumb.

 

[sptrawler]

Back to the government: The Labor Party conference is up and running.
The world is facing financial chaos.
People here at home are becoming more and more stressed about the rising cost of living, the forthcoming carbon tax, various other real concerns.

But what is the Labor conference obsessed with? Gay Marriage!!!
Unbelievable.

Well it's important to Bob and Penny, who cares what the other 22million people worry about.
This is the new labor party and their new theme song " what about me "
They have only 18 months or so to get all their weird and wonderfull policies through, before they are slung out.

 

[explod]

Back to the government: The Labor Party conference is up and running.
The world is facing financial chaos.
People here at home are becoming more and more stressed about the rising cost of living, the forthcoming carbon tax, various other real concerns.

But what is the Labor conference obsessed with? Gay Marriage!!!
Unbelievable.

There are many other important issues being discussed but the gay one is what the press is focusing on. Which is typical of the press in my view.

 

[Calliope]

There are many other important issues being discussed but the gay one is what the press is focusing on. Which is typical of the press in my view.

Typical of the political left is what I would have thought. Your leader Bob Brown is very keen on the idea. The whole concept is ridiculous.

 

[explod]

Typical of the political left is what I would have thought. Your leader Bob Brown is very keen on the idea.

And so ?, he cannot help the way he was born.

Many do not have the intellect to realise, one it is neurological and two, we should be able to please ourselves in what we do, democracy.

Marriage is a commitment to each other and at the end of the day it has nothing to do with ceremony or religion.

I have seen many saint looking people be married lavishly to only break up after a few short years.

And a gay couple would draw less pension than trwo unmarried gays living togeter.

 

[noco]

This gay marriage crap is a typical Labor Party diversion from the real issues of cost of living due to the increased taxes. What else could one expect from an athiest Prime Minister who prefers to live in sin, the psuedo Prime Minister who is gay and the Finance Minister who is a lesbian. If they want to live together so be it, but I cannot believe it is necessary to make it legally binding.

Marriage is between a man and a woman and should be upheld for the sake of family values. What child would want to be raised by two mothers or two fathers? It is just plain wrong.

 

[explod]

Prime Minister who prefers to live in sin, .

What is that word sin?

And who are you that you can point a finger.

And remember what Jesus himself said, "Let thou without sin cast the first stone"

Get off you high horse, how dare you judge others.

 

[todster]

Yes Dannyboy and Ifocus, I hear a lot of people bitching about the money being earned in the mines. I don't see a queue on St Georges Terrace trying to get up there. LOL

Everybody wants to earn $120k+, not many want to work in 40deg+ for 60 hrs/wk while spending75% of your life living in a donga.
By the way you fly home in your own time. Rollup, rollup plenty of jobs.LOL

At least Julian Grylls is trying to make it so families can stay together. He deserves a pat on the back.

800 kids enrolled in Karratha primary school next year,long way to go yet

 

[pilots]

I started in the late 70's you had to drive in those days as a contractor drugs and alcohol was a case of who was your dealer LOL, men were men etc , lived in the NW at various times then ended up doing gold fly in / out final trip 91.........

Dannyboy understand 4 /1 is hard average punter wouldn't get it.

Mate you think 4/1 is hard, we worked every day, 12 hours aday, and worked 92 days on and 92 days off, this way we did not have to pay any Australian tax.

 

[Julia]

And so ?, he cannot help the way he was born.

Many do not have the intellect to realise, one it is neurological and two, we should be able to please ourselves in what we do, democracy.

Perhaps more biological than neurological?

Whatever, my comment was not about the origins of homosexuality.
And it's not made in a sense of homophobia.
I couldn't care less who has sex with whom as long as little children and animals are not involved.
Don't most states already have legislation which provides for civil unions which confer all the same legal rights (eg superannuation) on people living in same sex relationships?

The above is all an aside.
My point was that we are at a time when the world is facing immense challenges from financial and social points of view, all needing urgent attention, and the Labor Party seems to just ignore all this in their oh so important Conference, and instead focus on an issue most of the population couldn't care less about.

Again, it's just unbelievable to me.
If they can't come up with an agreed position on such a minor issue, what on earth is their hope for good policy on something important????