'Work Choices' - damning report

[Phyllis Stein]

Hi all,

I've been reading lots of anecdotes from people on both sides of the IR debate, but I prefer to rely on actual research to give me a broad picture of what Work Choices means for Oz.
This report was released last month, but I've not yet seen it discussed in here, so thought I'd throw it into the mix.

http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=1967

An excerpt:

"Low skilled employees on AWAs are earning some of the lowest wages, working the longest hours, and are more likely to want fewer hours of work."

Key findings of the report:

Australia@Work

Australians' working lives

• Employees are feeling workload pressures: more than half (52%) say that more and more is expected of them for the same amount of pay.

• More than half (52%) of Australian workers say they are finding it difficult to get by, or just coping, on their current household income.

Bargaining position

• In general, high skilled employees* earn most on common law contracts.
• In general, low skilled workers** earn most when covered by collective agreements.

• Employees on AWAs, for the most part, earn less than those on common law contracts and collective agreements, but they are working longer hours.

• Employees whose pay and conditions are set by awards and collective bargaining work the shortest full-time hours.

AWAs and the new agreement-making

• Since WorkChoices there has been a 2.3% decline in employees reliant on awards, and a similar degree (1.7%) of growth in those covered by AWAs.

• Employees who changed jobs in the year after WorkChoices were almost twice as likely to be covered an AWA than those who stayed in the same job

• The total number of employees on AWAs grew by 33% in the year after WorkChoices.

• Those on the new AWAs are more likely to be young workers (36% aged 16- to 24-years) and in low skilled jobs (56%), and say they do not have the opportunity to negotiate their pay with their employer (56%).

• 46% of all workers on AWAs say they do not have the opportunity to negotiate pay with their employer.

The study also finds:

• As in the past, the largest group (40%) of employees still rely on awards.

• The bulk of individual bargaining is still occurring through individual common law contracts (almost one in five employees are covered by these contracts).

• Around one in twenty (5.6%) employees are on AWAs. This equates to 450,000 employees.

[Alekay]

46% of all workers on AWAs say they do not have the opportunity to negotiate pay with their employer

Thanks for posting that!! Very interesting. I can definatley agree with the above one as DH was offered an AWA and said to his foreman" Cool i can negotiate" he was told " yeah the negotiation is sign this or no job"

They werent open to it at all. He has not sign anything as they wanted him to sign away his public holidays and loose some entitalments so he hasnt signed anything. That said he hasnt been givin one to sign either just told verbally about it. He has been there since July.

[forbetoel]

The IR are my main reason for voting against John Howard. Why weren't we told about these IR laws before the last election? And how much more are the Libs going to add if they win this election. Peter Costello has said himself, that if he were given a blank piece of paper to start the IR laws from scrtach, that he he would start at minimun wage and then work up. This is only the first stage of these IR laws, and if they win, we will see a lot tougher unfairer laws for Australian workers.

[GraceUnhearing]

Thanks for posting that!! Very interesting. I can definatley agree with the above one as DH was offered an AWA and said to his foreman" Cool i can negotiate" he was told " yeah the negotiation is sign this or no job"

thats what it was like at my work too
i didnt go back after having Rylan cause i not going to work 7 days a week for peanuts

[Pippi Longstocking]

Yeah but no but yeah but no, I know this dude right, and he is getting heaps more now and anyway, I'm doing ok so shut up!


Signed,

Your Typical Liberal Voter

[Odessa]

I've seen a lot of people say that because they or their friends/family haven't been directly affected by WorkChoices (yet!) that there is nothing wrong with them.

A new ad: Really, Mr Howard?

At the last election, Mr Howard did not breathe a word about WorkChoices. After winning the election, he introduced the most extreme workplace relations laws this country has ever seen. Howard ministers and big business are urging the government to go further, to entirely scrap the award safety net that holds worker's conditions and entitlements.

Mr Costello, his PM in waiting, wants all unfair dismissal laws scrapped. Also, the Libs want more Aussies on AWAs - contracts we know to have removed entitlements and conditions for many workers already. If the Howard Government is returned to office, you will see more and more extreme changes to IR laws. I personally don't want to see that, and I don't want that for future generations of Australians.

[pinkpirate]

Well said Odessa. the other big problem with re-elected the Howard Govt is that they will think we have given them a green light to take workchoices further.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQupy0VY9M8

[forbetoel]

Yeah but no but yeah but no, I know this dude right, and he is getting heaps more now and anyway, I'm doing ok so shut up!


Signed,

Your Typical Liberal Voter

[forbetoel]

Well said Odessa. the other big problem with re-elected the Howard Govt is that they will think we have given them a green light to take workchoices further.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQupy0VY9M8

That is exactly right, wait until after the election, if the Liberals win to see the real IR laws.

[our little treasures]

I've seen a lot of people say that because they or their friends/family haven't been directly affected by WorkChoices (yet!) that there is nothing wrong with them.

A new ad: Really, Mr Howard?

At the last election, Mr Howard did not breathe a word about WorkChoices. After winning the election, he introduced the most extreme workplace relations laws this country has ever seen. Howard ministers and big business are urging the government to go further, to entirely scrap the award safety net that holds worker's conditions and entitlements.

Mr Costello, his PM in waiting, wants all unfair dismissal laws scrapped. Also, the Libs want more Aussies on AWAs - contracts we know to have removed entitlements and conditions for many workers already. If the Howard Government is returned to office, you will see more and more extreme changes to IR laws. I personally don't want to see that, and I don't want that for future generations of Australians.

Unlike the adds the liberals are showing, my DH knows the wife in a current add about the IR laws. He worked with her. IR is only in the best interests of business NOT the important workers that keep this country running

As for those statistics I believe they are right my husband is under a lot of pressure to do his and carry the load of others work. He is worried about telling them he can't manage it all as the BOSS has already told them if you can't keep up this isn't the job for you. His BOSS has already threatened them about the union if it is called how their jobs could be affected. This is unfair