Suki Has An Opinion

HoWARd advocates workplace harassment

October 4th, 2005

Our Prime Minister has, in two paragraphs, revealed exactly how very little he knows or cares about Industrial Relations law in the sense of a non-hostile work environment. Speaking in Perth, Howard said

“I was able to talk in detail about the weaknesses of the present unfair dismissal laws and how they’re a burden on small business in particular, how they discourage small business from employing staff and how they really make a lot of hard-working staff in small firms cranky.”

“If you’re living in a small business environment and you’ve got five or eight people in an office or workshop and one of them is a pain in the neck and making life difficult for everybody else, it’s the workers, in many cases, more than the boss that would like to see the back of him.”

In a workplace there is always going to be a level of diversity within staff. In fact many workplaces celebrate and respect EEO principles.

In this one sentence HoWARd has shown us how he really thinks and how stuck in his thinking he is. A slip-up for a usually slick operator.

HoWARd, as an employer, would take no responsibly for the decision that the selection panel made or for their lack of/due diligence in checking qualifications or contacting referees. He would take no responsibility for a probation period and the sorts of issues that are often sorted out in that time via flexibility on both sides. He lacks the imagination for his workplace developing a mentoring program (similar to what happens in a trade). He would do nothing to foster esprit de corps and probably thinks it is unnecessary. HoWARd, uninspiring, unethical and likely illegal in his management style.

HoWARd probably doesn’t like the following paragraph protecting workers from bullying and harassment in his Public Service,

“Employers have to take all reasonably practicable steps to protect the health and safety of employees at work under the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment)Act 1991. An employer who fails to take reasonably practicable precautions to prevent workplace harassment from occurring, or who fails to deal promptly and effectively with any complaint of harassment, may be in breach of an employer’s duty of care to employees. – Australian Government, Australian Public Service Commission.”

HoWARd’s statement would be defined as workplace harassment under current OH&S legislation.

Ex-IRC judge Paul Munro puts it best,

“If there’s any unfair dismissal going on in this country at present it’s the PM’s dismissal of an institution that has served the country well.”

It's not the 1950's anymore HoWARd, workers now have rights
Image from here

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Almost enough to impress an Atheist

August 6th, 2005

I am not often interested, let alone impressed by conservative religious types. This indifference has just been challenged by the strong stand made by the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen and the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell with regard to IR changes.

"It seems at this point that the proposals shift the differential of power in favour of employers, who can have a propensity to mistreat workers in the interests of the business." – Dr. Jensen

WWJD-Jesus would vote against the IR changes
Image from here

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I love my job it’s the work I hate

August 4th, 2005

GetUp! is an online organisation that inspires voters to think up their own campaign ideas and lobby politicians by email and SMS.

In a display of profound ignorance of both the responsibility inherent in holding a public office and what spam actually is, Andrew Robb Liberal backbencher told all voters exactly how he wants his work day to progress and who he thinks is responsible for the terrible botheration that will ensue from GetUp!’s presence.

"?There are hundreds of emails arriving in Senator’s offices. They’re beside themselves, just to clear the screen. They get back to their office from meetings looking for important communications from whoever, and they’re confronted with screen after screen of these emails, in some cases over 200 emails. This is highly irresponsible, this is spam, this is spam."?

"It’s first and foremost, let’s not mince words, it is an anti-Government group and it’s not there to keep us accountable. It’s there to run an alternative policy agenda. It’s a front for the Labor Party, it’s a political front. They’re quite entitled to do it, it’s a free country, but it’s a political front. That’s what it is."

Two points Andrew.
1. The labor party is far too unimaginative for this venture and
2. Politicians cannot possibly expect not to get unsolicited communication including e-mails from their constituents. Such voter concern is not spam.

I cannot think of a better reason for Getup! than the presence of such a lazy, uninformed, unrepresentative politician.

Using all available media to get messages seen and heard by politicians and government

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Carers do it tough under Coalition-of-the-Willing HoWARd

July 25th, 2005

�Creating Choice: Employment and the cost of caring�, launched by the Taskforce on Care Costs (TOCC) on 24 February 2005 in Sydney, calls on the Government to improve financial support for carers to give them real choice about working and caring, and thus improve flow on effects for business and the national economy. The report shows more than one in four workers with caring responsibilities have already reduced their working hours due to the high cost of care, and 25 per cent have considered leaving the workforce altogether. Juliet Bourke, Chair of TOCC said

�Forcing people to chose between work and care is not good for workers, their dependents, business or the national economy�.

The report observed that the Government has identified increasing levels of workforce participation as a key strategy for Australia�s future economic prosperity. Bourke said:

�Enabling carers to work to their optimal level will help achieve the Government�s objective of increasing workforce participation. It will increase taxation contributions, reduce government outlays and minimise skill wastage. This is a win-win situation�.

The report observed that the Government�s current financial support for workers with caring responsibilities is minimal, behind international best practice and narrowly focused (ie primarily on young children). TOCC�s survey found that a focus on children neglects the 20% of workers who care for elders and people with a disability. Bourke said

�We encourage the Government to be proactive about supporting workers with caring responsibilities.�

TOCC recommends that the Government:

1. Immediately draft legislation (for consultation) to implement its promised 30% rebate for care costs;
2. Extend the child-care rebate to cover elder and disability care costs;
3. Extend the 30% rebate to a more meaningful level (ie closer to a dollar for dollar rebate) and remove the proposed $4000 cap; 4. Introduce reforms to assist the cost of care in combination with a strategy to improve the accessibility and quality of care;
5. By June 2006 release a public report identifying the steps it has taken to implement the Taskforce�s recommendations.

I hope that HoWARd et al considers this data as he pushes through industrial relations reform with his compliant Senate.

Image from here

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Placards waving, whistles blowing

July 2nd, 2005

Wow, I would never have predicted such a turnout.
Just when I thought that Australians were by and large politically apathetic they get out in large numbers and protest against the proposed changes to IR Law.

Now that I feel less anxious about IR legislation thundering unopposed through the Senate I’m going to chuck a sickie and celebrate.

My letter writing campaign can now ease up a little

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