It's so nice to see the conservatives at each others throats after opinion polls have shown the proposed IR changes are a dead cat to the electorate.
Business leaders yesterday pressed the Government to launch immediately a publicity campaign to counter the ACTU's $8 million media blitz attacking the plan. But Government sources have expressed impatience at the failure of businesses to launch their own ad campaign.
Just how they're going to sell a system that will, in time, disadvantage a large section of the workforce is beyond me. Expect a backdown by jellyback Howard if thing get really tough. Keep in mind the past backslides regarding petrol excise, pollies super and the relaxation of rules for those in immigration detention.
In the meantime we have the Employment Minister, Kevin Andrews, claiming the move to reduce annual leave by two weeks is acceptable because it's done in certain mining industries in Western Australia. What he fails to mention is that this is used by employees that work shifts of two weeks on, two weeks off. Hardly applicable to most of us.
Expect to see other proponents for change wade in with statements like ....
Australian needs a simplified, unified system. We should grab this opportunity to improve the country's competitiveness with both hands.
We are not concerned about a poll from time to time. We are concerned about ensuring the economic future of Australia, so that Australians and their families can have the living standards that they want.
No government in a Western democracy wants to be overriding the fears and concerns of its citizens. But we need to act and we need to persuade the electorate that these changes are absolutely necessary to make Australia a dynamic and effective industrial democracy.
They couch the issue in terms of 'increased living standards' and 'increased competitiveness,' but it's really about cutting costs rather than increasing efficiency and value adding. You'd think from listening to them that we're on the edge of economic disaster.
Strange really. I thought we were doing pretty well under the current system.
