WorkChoices (legislation)

[Revasser]

Alright guys, seeing as we've got a "Down Under Politics" forum now, I think it needs some more use. If there's one thing that is a big issue in Aussie politics, at least, right now it's the Howard government's new industrial relations legislation.

Unless you've been living under a stone, I'm sure you guys are all familiar with it and the ongoing debate surrounding it.

So, what do you think? Is it good, bad, neutral? Productivity boosting or union busting? Is it keeping us competitive in the world market or keeping us competitive in a wage race to the bottom? Is it giving potential for greater flexibility or potential for de facto indentured slavery?

Give your opinions!

[bigvindaloo]

Originally Posted by Revasser

Alright guys, seeing as we've got a "Down Under Politics" forum now, I think it needs some more use. If there's one thing that is a big issue in Aussie politics, at least, right now it's the Howard government's new industrial relations legislation.

Unless you've been living under a stone, I'm sure you guys are all familiar with it and the ongoing debate surrounding it.

So, what do you think? Is it good, bad, neutral? Productivity boosting or union busting? Is it keeping us competitive in the world market or keeping us competitive in a wage race to the bottom? Is it giving potential for greater flexibility or potential for de facto indentured slavery?

Give your opinions!

IMO workchoices is problematic relating to bargaining position. It assumes a relation of equality between employer and employee at negotiation. While this may hold for those with skills that an employer values in terms of scarcity, for many with skills not valued, a basic power differential exists between individual employees and employers. The fictious individual of the corporation or government department as employer are good examples. Why would any employee consider himself in an equal bargaining position in the knowledge that by agreeing to employment he is entering into a Master-Servant relationship with his employer? Possession of scarce skills an employer values in the individual case is a much a matter of chance as endowment of genetic transference of skills and abilities or socio-economic status one is born into. Therefore, those with generic skills of which the value to employers is diminished by their relative abundance require organisations such as trade unions to look after their interests in negotiating a fair compensation for employment. Any employer rationally pursuing their own interests will attempt to pay the least for the skills they acquire from employees. While liberal theory sees nothing wrong with that, a race to the bottom will ensue. In the current situation, the bottom is not that existing in Australia at the time of the implementation of the legislation. Rather the bottom is being outsourced in government policy through immigration incentives to provide cheaper labour, a kind of negative subsidy on employment conditions. They ought to be investing more in developing policy to raise the skill level of the many talented people in this country whose potential is underdeveloped.

[bigvindaloo]

Quite possibly WorkChoices keeps us competitive both in world markets and in a wage race to the bottom. The Government of course would only recognise the former publically, though privately with their industry mates they would take credit for the latter as well.

[Shadow Wolf]

Guess I've been under a stone, as I've never heard of it.

[bigvindaloo]

C'mon. Any prepared to defend WorkChoices?

[Quoth The Raven]

Oh yeah...best thing since sliced bread, mate. People who work harder will be duly compensated while the slackers languish on minimum wage or lift their game and become more productive.Not to mention that you may have the option of offloading some of that pesky annual leave that you can't afford to take anyway, for an extra $10 a week in your paypacket. It's a win-win situation for everyone.
And if you buy that, I've got a lovely parcel of coastal land in New Orleans I'd like to sell you at a bargain price as well.

[spacemonkey]

Originally Posted by Luke Wolf

Guess I've been under a stone, as I've never heard of it.

maybe because Indiana isn't in Australia....